


Chess, Love, and Politics

by KESwriter



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Intrigue, Politics, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-06 02:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 39,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8731429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KESwriter/pseuds/KESwriter
Summary: Reid juggles raising two children who are geniuses while working for the FBI in Orlando as his wife runs for president. Nothing is as it seems as his wife navigates the hurdles of an uphill race and he uncovers a plot that could alter the election in ways no one saw coming.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> I'm kind of new here but I have written a ton of stuff elsewhere with the same user name. Please consider commenting. I want new perspectives on this story.

Chess, Love, and Politics

“Dad don’t you think string theory doesn’t describe the universe, but only states the opposite of facts in favor of constructions that can only be proven in hypothetical situations with little connection to real objects?” his son Alex asked over breakfast.

Reid spooned some eggs on to his plate. “I don’t know son. String theory has been around since the seventies. People are a fan of it.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Alex insisted. “Theories are constantly being proved and disproved.”

His daughter Rachel was buttering some toast. “I think String theory is still important. Without it there is no way to correlate relativity with quantum mechanics.”

Alex made a face at her. “That’s because you’re only ten,” he said.

She made a face back at him. “Two years of age difference doesn’t necessarily equate to more knowledge. I started studying physic before you did.”

“But I read faster,” he said. 

“Children!” his wife Miranda said as she helped Reid clean pans. “You are both entitled to your opinions on string theory, no matter who started learning about it first. Got it?”

They both nodded their heads obediently.

Twenty minutes later. Miranda passed out their lunches and Reid led them out of the house to wait for the bus.

“No arguing about string theory in class,” Reid said. “I don’t want another note from your teachers like when you deconstructed the Nash equilibrium.”

“But Dad,” they both said in unison.

“No buts,” he said sternly. “You won’t learn unless you let the other students contribute. Understood?”

“Yes,” they both said sullenly.

Miranda joined him in watching their kids get on the bus.

“You know how I love you and our kids’ right?” she said. “I would never change a single hair on their heads.”

“I know,” he said lovingly as the bus pulled away.

“But sometimes going to work with congress makes me feel like the smartest person in the room compared to when I’m at home.”

He held the door open for her. “Intelligence is proven to be inherited from the mother.”

“I don’t care what science says,” she said they re-entered the house. “They both sound more like you.”

“Their intelligence surprises me sometimes. They also need to learn when to keep their thoughts to themselves and listen to others for the good of the group.”

“It’s a good thing you’re around to teach them then,” she said with a smile.

Reid picked up his messenger bag. “It took me years to learn that lesson. I need to get going. Try not to make Haynes from Ways and Means look like a fool tomorrow. You won’t get more infrastructure spending for the new bridge, with the strategy you’re currently using.”

“I’ll try,” she said and then hugged and kissed him. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you too,” he said.

He glanced back at her. He loved how she still kept her strawberry-blond hair at shoulder-length so he could still stroke it. Reid would do anything for her. Even if it included upending his entire life for her again.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

“Robert, I’ve tried to play nice with you but we have got to get down to brass tacks. We need to stop giving tax credits to millionaires who aren’t helping non-profit organizations.”

“My constituents won’t agree to it Miranda,” the older gentleman said fiercely.  
“Here is what is going to happen,” she said in a calm tone. “In three months the FBI is going to expose a rigged bidding operation for projects in your district. They are a going to grow dissatisfied with the government and your next approval ratings will show you go down by six percent because, you didn’t publicly announce a decrease in tax credits for these companies.”

“How do you know such a probe is even going on?” he said. “You’re husband?”

“I researched your district. The same companies have been getting a lot of tax credits with little results. I also put in some phone calls and found out the FBI can’t comment or acknowledge any investigations into any rigged betting.”

Haynes stood up. “I’ll consider you’re proposal,” he said.

Miranda stood up also. “I expect an answer before the end of the week.”

Haynes looked like he wanted to say something but changed his mind. He simply glared at her and left.

Her chief of staff Geena looked impressed. “The level of nerve show never ceases to amaze me.”

Miranda rolled her shoulders. “You have to show some if you intend to play in the big leagues.”

Her secretary Annabeth appeared. “Senator Snyder wants to meet with you sometime today. I put him in as your last appointment at four o’clock.”

“Thank you Annabeth,” she said and took a seat behind her desk.

Geena looked at her. “Any idea what the King of the Hill wants?”

“If it is to replace me with something younger, he is out of his mind,” she said. “Now that we have Haynes wrapped up, let’s move on to Wilson. I need to talk to him about unions and trade…”  
…

Her last meeting before Snyder wrapped up quicker than planned so she began to play a game of chess. It always calmed her nerves and helped focus her mind. Both things she would need when the King came.

Five minutes later Annabeth buzzed him in. At six feet one, and sixty-three years old, William Snyder was a formidable figure. He had the influence to end or extend a politician’s career. The smile on his face gave away nothing.

“Miranda, it is great to see you,” he said warmly.

“Thank you sir,” she said and gestured for him to sit on the sofa. “Can I get you soda, water, or coffee?”

“I’m fine thank you,” he said and took a seat. “Do you know why I’m here?”

Miranda turned on the intercom. “Annabeth why don’t you head home?”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“I’ll be able to take care of it.”

“Have a good night then,” Annabeth said.

“You too and drive safely,” she said.

Snyder nodded in approval. “The fewer ears the better.”

“You being in my office could mean a number of things,” she said taking a seat. “None of which my secretary needs to know right away.”

“So I’ll ask again. Do you know why I’m here?”

“You want me to run for president,” she said simply.

He smiled. “They say you’re the smartest person on Capitol Hill you know.”

“Brains do not always equal political brawn,” she said.

“But for you it does,” he said.

“I don’t want to run sir,” she said. “Not against an incumbent with an average of forty-eight percent approval rating. I can’t beat that.”

“Maybe you can,” he said.

“He is a well-liked president who hasn’t gotten us into any wars. The deficit has been cut down more than expected and the economy is in an upswing. I’d rather run in an open race.”

“But that is not what the Powers that Be want,” Snyder said with a steely look on his face.

The Powers that Be were composed four senators and four representatives who did the backroom dealing. When aligned they had more influence over how business was conducted in DC than the president.

“Sir, I will lose,” she said bravely. “I will make it to the final debate with the president and then lose to him by a margin of eight percent. In the future, I might get a position as secretary of state and consider another bid but I won’t be successful and end up becoming a VP.”

He smiled. “Do you know what they call you outside your earshot?”

“Not that far. They call me the master. Because I play chess at the grandmaster level.”

“You always think so many moves ahead of your opponents Miranda,” he said. “It must be frustrating to be so smart sometimes.” 

“You can’t make me run sir,” she said holding her ground.

“I can logjam every piece of legislation you try to get passed,” he said. “And you know I don’t break promises.”

“Then help me get some environmental reform passed before primary season.”

“You’re in no position to be asking for favors.”

“But I’m asking anyway,” she said. “For the good of my country I have sworn to serve.”

Snyder laughed a little. “With nerves of steel you’re going to make a great candidate Miranda.”


	3. Chapter Three

 

Chapter Three:

Reid pointed to a map where he had been outlining drug routes.

“The heroin is being peddled through the universities to students who are then taking it home with them. They’re being taught how to smuggle it in ways that avoid detection. The highest concentration is here and we should consider getting a warrant for a search before the next school holiday.”

His supervisor Vaughn Penn looked pleased.

“Good work Reid. I know a friendly judge. We should have a warrant in time.”

“Thank you,” he said.

The other agents looked pleased also. They were eager to do some field work. Reid was more content to stay behind a desk these days. It decreased his likelihood of being hit by a bullet.  He was about to start on a fresh batch of paperwork when Penn’s head appeared in his cubicle.

“A word Reid?” he said casually.

Reid got up and followed him into his office. Penn took a seat behind his desk and gestured for Reid to sit.

“How long would you say we’ve known each other?”

“Since the Orlando field office opened, ten years and three months,” Reid said.

“Your wife was looking to stay in Orlando to hold down her seat in Congress and you were looking for any job in the FBI that was open even if it meant an hour’s drive from home.”

“You could say that.”

“I was just young and ambitious. When there was a chance to become assistant to an FBI head in a new office, I jumped on the opportunity like a lion on to a fresh kill.”

Reid knew Penn well enough to tell he wanted to start telling stories. About the human trafficking ring they busted together. About the government corruption case they helped build. The illegal immigrants that were being paid half their share to build a theme park attraction. Reid was proud of the work he had done in Orlando but he didn’t relish in the glory the way Penn did.

Penn was about launch into the illegal worker case when Reid stopped him.

“Penn, I don’t mean to be rude honestly, but you didn’t call me into your office to discuss our case history.”

Penn sat up. “You’re right. I didn’t. So how would you like my job?”

Reid was shocked. “What?”

“I’m being summoned to Tampa. You’re over-qualified for the job by at least five years.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes then.”

Reid went silent. He had not been expecting the development. He was content in the position he was in.

Penn watched him. “I know your wife has big plans for the future. Ones that involves relocating to a white house in about four years. So take the job for four years. Then see what happens from there.

“I’ll think about it Penn,” Reid finally said.

“I’ll give you two weeks to do so,” he said. “It’s a nice job Reid and I think you’ll be good at it.”

“Thanks Penn,” he said.

“Just consider it.”

…

Reid entered the house to the scent of Tandoori chicken. Their housekeeper Jeanette didn’t usually cook such spicy dishes so it meant one thing.

“Mommy’s home!” Rachel announced delightedly.

He gave her a quick hug. “That’s great to hear. Now how was your day?”

“Good. We discussed global warming in class. Did you know that there used to only be carbon dioxide concentrations of only four hundred parts per million?”

“I did,” he said.

“That’s because Dad knows everything,” Alex said.

“Not everything,” Reid said and gave him a quick hug. “Like how was your day at school?”

“We discussed algebraic equations, nothing hard. I could solve the problems in my sleep.”

“But you need to show your work,” he said.

Alex sighed. “I know. I know.”

“Dinner!” Miranda announced.

Reid and the kids entered the kitchen. He gave her a quick hug. “Tandoori chicken. My favorite!”

“That means big news from Mommy,” Rachel said as they sat down.

“I’m getting a new bridge!” Miranda said.

“That’s hardly big news,” Alex said. “You’ve been working on that project for a few weeks.”

“Alex!” Reid said. “We celebrate all accomplishments here. You know how hard to it is get things done in Washington at times.”

“Was Haynes the big holdout?” Alex asked. “What did you say to change his mind?”

Miranda gave Reid a look. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Would you rather them reading the work I bring home?”

“You keep all your desk drawers locked,” Rachel piped in.

“Yeah I’d love to know what you do at work Dad,” Alex said. “Is there a serial killer on the loose?”

“You know that’s not all that I work on,” Reid said. “There are thefts, drug smuggling and illegal business operations.”

“You never talk about the fun stuff though,” Alex said.

“Alex there is nothing fun about my job,” he said. “These are serious problems.”

“But you always catch the bad guy in the end right Daddy?” Rachel said.

“I try sweety,” he said.

He glanced at Miranda and noticed she looked relieved the subject had changed. There was definitely something else on her mind besides bridges.

He changed the subject. “So Alex you were saying something about working on algebraic equations?”

“They were all boring…”

…

Teeth were brushed and bed time stories were told. Alex claimed he was too old for bedtime stories but still listened as Reid told him the story of how the universe was created. Once they were convinced the kids were asleep Reid opened a bottle of wine.

“So why are you really home this early?” Reid asked.

Miranda sighed. “The Powers that Be want me to run for president this term.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Reid said in shock. “Honey you are a brilliant a politician and excellent candidate, but—“

“The president is better,” Miranda said. “His approval ratings are strong and there is no reason to think they will dip.”

“Why do you think they want you to run now?”

“Because they have someone else in mind to win in an open race. I have a few guesses, but I honestly don’t know.”

“Are they giving you any options?”

“I could not run and they will my job three times as hard until my term is up and I’ll then lose my seat,” she said and sipped her wine.

“There are at least five more people who want to run that we know of,” Reid said. “Two governors, two senators and another representative.”

“I know I can beat all of them, but what is the point?” she asked. “Maybe I’ll get a consolation prize of a place in the cabinet but after this week, I think they’ll say I’m too valuable where I am.”

“You can always do what you always do,” Reid said. “Play to win.”

Miranda shook her head. “I don’t see a path to victory in this case Spencer.”

He rubbed her shoulder. “You don’t see it now but you may in the future.”

Miranda stepped away. “There is always the elephant in the room. You miss DC.”

Reid groaned. “How many times do I have to tell you Miranda? Home is with you.”

“You gave up the most to make this relationship work,” she said. “I know you miss your godson, J.J., Garcia, Prentiss, Morgan and Hotch”

“My godson is studying to be a doctor at Yale so it’s not like I’d see every weekend. We also always make a point to visit Rossi at his big holiday parties. I don’t miss them when I have you, Alex, and Rachel.”

“I made a promise to myself that when I took aim at the White house and my hair started to more white than blond, you’d finally get to be back with your FBI family.”

“Oh Miranda,” he said. “Penn just offered me his job at Orlando.”

Miranda smiled. “That’s great news! If only I wasn’t trapped in running when I’m going to lose.”

“I’m happy where I am Miranda,” he said putting his glass down and hugging her. “I love you.”

“I love you too and we’ll get through this together,” she said.

“As always,” he said.


	4. Chapter Four

President Michael Lang held his first unofficial review of candidates in the oval office after business hours. It was a casual affair where they were all seated on couches around the coffee table. In the room was his chief of staff, communications director, and press secretary.

“It is April nineteenth, the first batch of candidates should be announcing in June. Who are my top opponents?”

His chief of staff answered. “Kayla Marklund, governor of Indiana, Dean Howe, governor of Arkansas, Senator Benjamin Cooper of New York, Senator Trista Salinas of California, Congressman Kirk Roberts of Pennsylvania, and congresswoman Miranda Reid of Florida.

Lang turned to his communications director. “Can you cut that down to four for me?”

She nodded. “I think I can cut it down to three. Howe, Cooper, and Reid. Roberts is going to make the most noise, but he isn’t popular outside his state and is too liberal. Marklund doesn’t have enough funding. Salinas is too conservative.”

Lang turned to his press secretary. “Tell me about the three I’ll be facing.”

He looked at his notes. “Howe is looking to be the next Clinton without the sex scandals. He is young at thirty-eight, but has done a lot for his state in terms of job growth and cutting government spending. Cooper is a well-liked elder statesman of New York. He helped rebuild the city of Buffalo and also cut government spending. Reid has helped rebuild infrastructure spending and she is the most powerful congressman outside the powers that be.”

Lang picked off his fingers. “Howe’s too young and inexperienced, Cooper has been too much of Washington insider and the same goes for Reid. Now why is Reid more powerful that Cooper at the hill?”

His communications director answered. “From my time working on the hill, I can tell you Reid is an excellent strategist. She does research on her opponents and uses it against them.”

“Great so we can describe her as cold and manipulative if we have to which I don’t as I want to run a very positive campaign.”

“There is another thing worth mentioning about Reid,” his communications director said. “Her maiden name is Byler. I happened to be in her office one day and saw some of her wedding photos. The direct of the FBI is one of them as a groomsman.”

Lang rubbed his hands together. “That is interesting. What’s the connection?”

“Her husband used to work for him until he relocated to Florida where he continues to work as an FBI agent.”

Lang stood and walked to the window. He felt the power of the office he had fought so hard for.

“Reid has a personal stake in running then. She wants to bring her husband back into the DC fold. Let the candidates fight each other until is down to the final three and then we’ll start taking subtle jabs at Reid. Again I want this to be a positive campaign but I’m willing to show some teeth every now and then.”

…

Miranda took a seat at a chess table. It wasn’t going to her most challenging game but she needed to be at her best mentally.

Her former chief of staff Whitney Fleming appeared. Miranda stood up and greeted her.

“Nice and discreet location,” she said. “Very good.”

“I assume you know why you’re here,” Miranda said taking a seat.

“You need someone to run your campaign,” Fleming said taking a seat.

Miranda moved her first pawn. “Are you going to make me beg?”

“You’re going to have to pay me much more,” she said moving a pawn. “I’ve run several successful campaigns.”

“I knew that when I set up to see you,” she said moving another piece.

“Oh Miranda, you seem to think you know everything. You’re not as different from your husband as you think.”

 Miranda didn’t know what to say so she played the game.

“I warned you against so much as dating him but you went ahead and married him,” Fleming said she moved another piece. “I have to admit it turned out well for the both of you though.”

Miranda sighed. “I know my husband will play an integral role in my campaign but can we get off the subject briefly? Let’s discuss how I’m going to win an election that I’m not ready to run in.”

“Your husband is the reason the president will zero in on you early,” Fleming said. “It is common enough knowledge among inner circles how he is associated to the current FBI director. You have to be extra-careful.”

“I know. How do I beat it?”

“You don’t. Get more defensive than you should. Show some fear. Make him think you’re afraid. Then demolish him in the debates.”

“Please tell me winning the debates is your strategy. You know most Americans have made up their minds by then.”

“Miranda unless he starts a war or someone leaks compromising emails, you’re not going to land a single strong blow. You’ve got to show him off at the debates.”

“Any other ideas?” she asked with a heavy sigh.

“You’re going to be fine. I know how to work a campaign and you know how to run for office. This is just a bigger stage.”

“I don’t want to hear about you clashing with my current staff. You scare people slightly.”

“But you trust me the most to run your campaign.”

“Trust is a rare commodity in Washington. Loyalty even more so. I know I can count on both from you.”

“Thank you for approaching me Miranda,” she said kindly. “I look forward to working with you again.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said.

They played in silence for the rest of the game. Miranda won easily.

“You always play to win,” Fleming said. “Let’s see how far that takes you.”

“Hopefully the Oval Office.”


	5. Chapter Five

Reid met with Penn five days later.

“So your wife is running president this term,” he said. “It sounds exciting.”

“And exhausting,” Reid said. “Going through the caucuses. Then the final election. Penn, I might need to cut back on my work to just consulting on cases.”

“It also means getting into the spotlight, which you have shunned at every turn imaginable.”

“Miranda has made it explicitly clear to her campaign team that she wants her family involved as minimally as possible.”

“She does have to show she has a family in a few ads I imagine. Just as proof she has a family.”

“And that is all there will be,” Reid said. “I am going to try to keep their lives as normal as possible.”

“Normal, is a relative term,” Penn said with a chuckle.

“I know,” he said.

“So who else knows if you don’t mind my asking?”

“You, Miranda’s main staff, and campaign manager.”

“You haven’t told your kids yet?”

“We don’t trust them not to start tabulating her probability of winning while at school and some news anchors have kids there.”

“Do you think they’ll be okay with it?”

“I hope so,” he said.

“Okay,” Penn said leaning forward and making some notes. “I’m taking you out of the field permanently. You’ll be reviewing case from here from now on. Anybody asks, tell them you’re getting too old for knocking down doors.”

“I’ll tell them the gunshot wound to my leg is starting to affect me,” Reid said.

“Whatever you want Reid,” Penn said.

“Thank you for everything Penn.”

“No problem.”

…

“So the kids have asked me twice,” Miranda said via face time one night.

“Three times for me,” Reid said. “They think they’re going to wear us down.”

“I only want them told after school ends. Just keep saying mom is considering it.”

Reid sighed. “They’ve already predicted how many electoral votes you’ll lose by.”

“At least they haven’t told me that to my face,” Miranda said. “Have you?”

“I believe you can win honey. I really do.”

“That’s not really an answer,” she said.

“I have a narrower margin suggested than they have,” Reid said sheepishly.

She laughed. “I don’t need pundits or statisticians when I have my own family.”

“Who loves you and adores you no matter what the outcome.”

“I know can always count on that,” she said.

…

Miranda was eating lunch at her desk while studying tax code with a game of chess open when there was a knock on her door.

She opened to find J.J. waiting. She immediately hugged her.

“Hey what brings you up here?” she asked.

“The international response team got into some trouble on the Moroccan border,” J.J. said. “I’m here to vouch for their credibility.”

“Yes I heard about that,” Miranda said taking a seat her desk. “It doesn’t sound like they have much of case so I wouldn’t be too worried.”

“It was rough in there though,” J.J. plopping into a seat. “The frustration of being under a microscope never gets old.”

“I can imagine,” Miranda said.

“So I have to ask because it is the talk of the town,” J.J. said. “Are you plotting to become Madam President?”

“We’re exploring our options is all I’ll say.”

“Spoken like a politician.”

“I can’t help what I am,” she said with a smile. “And watch me change the subject: How are the boys?”

“They good. Henry has decided he wants to be thoracic surgeon. Michael just got his license, so help all. Time goes by so fast.”

“I know,” Miranda said. “One minute they saying single words. The next minute they’re speaking in full sentences and asking what a neutron is.”

J.J. laughed and shook her head. “I love Spence like family, but I think living with three versions of him would be exhausting at times.”

Miranda ate a piece of her lunch. “It gets crazy times but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

“You’re no slouch in the intelligence department either though,” she said. “Look at what you’re doing, eating, reading and playing chess.”

Miranda played another move. “It helps me think.”

“You’re running for president aren’t you?” J.J. said suddenly.

She rolled her eyes. “You haven’t been a profiler for eight years yet you still have it.”

“You don’t lose it after being promoted,” she said. “I need it even more now that I am playing games with these bureaucrats.”

“This is what happens when you get promoted to number four in command of the FBI,” Miranda said.

J.J. checked her watch. “I better get going, the next session starts in ten minutes.”

“Just quickly,” Miranda said. “How many members of the old team believe I am running for president?”

“All of them,” she said with a grin. “We’re already preparing to protect your privacy when the time comes.”

Miranda moved another piece, protecting the queen. “Thank you,” she simply.

“You’re welcome,” J.J. said and left.


	6. Chapter Six

Miranda was finishing some paperwork before the last vote before recess. She had sent Annabeth home and was picking at some Chinese food with an open game of chess. It was the way she liked to work when it was quiet and she needed to think.

There was a soft knock on her door.

“Come in,” she said.

Congressman Kirk Roberts appeared. At forty-nine, he had a youthful face with salt and pepper hair. He wore a basic suit and tie. He was often described as casual and charming. Miranda knew better.

“Hello Miranda,” he said pleasantly. “Preparing for the vote on park renaming and dairy farm reform?”

“Yes,” she said in an equally pleasant tone. “Both issues are important and need the attention of the House.”

He took a seat. “I didn’t know there were that many cows in Orlando.”

“There are small mom-and-pop farms that will be affected the legislation we pass,” she said. “But I doubt you’re here at this hour to talk farms and parks.”

“That’s what I like about you Miranda,” he said with a smile. “You always want to get straight to the point.”

“Then let’s get to it then,” she said. “We’re both running for president, though we haven’t officially announced yet. The hill is worse than high school with regards to secrets.”

“I know,” he said. “And what I want to know is why the powers that be are privately backing you instead of me.”

Miranda didn’t say anything.

“I have my sources too Miranda, If we’re being blunt, I’m a better candidate than you. I’m very popular in my state and can bring new ideas to the table. You are something of an unknown entity outside the hill.”

“The public loves a mystery,” she said.

“But you’re going to keep your husband and children out of the spotlight as much as possible. I have three kids finishing school who are excited to become a visible part of my campaign alongside my wife.”

Miranda briefly thought about leaning over her desk and slapping him. Instead she pushed aside her paperwork and dinner and pulled out her chess set.

“Here with is going to happen Kirk,” she said and moved pieces. “You’re going to announce in July to add some patriotism to your campaign. You’re going to tout your voting record and all you’ve done for Pennsylvania. I am going announce earlier. You are going to be seen as the biggest opponent for the next three months. You’re popular and charismatic but that only gets you so far in this race before the other candidates get aggressive. Marklund is going to get tired of you claiming to be the best choice and start running attack ads featuring the pac money you’re receiving. The rest of the candidates will start picking apart your voting record. By Christmas you’ll running low on momentum but will keep fighting. Your debate performances will grow weaker. By the time the Iowa comes around you’ll finish fourth behind Salinas and Howe. I’ll finish a close second which will put me in a good position for the rest of the race.”

Miranda sat back and took a sip of water as she let the words sink in.

His smile was gone. “You really think you know everything don’t you?”

“Not everything,” she said reorganizing her chess set. “Just enough to win the nomination.”

“But you’ll lose to the president,” Roberts said.

“I have a year to figure out how to win.”

He stood up. “Despite your little speech, I know I can win. I have the smartest people in the country on my team. Like you I play to win.”

She raised a hand. “Good luck then and may the best candidate win.”

“I intend to,” he said turned away to leave.

Miranda didn’t watch him leave. Instead she pulled out a notepad labeled Roberts and made some notations in German. She then put it back in a locked drawer. Email was hackable and drawers could be broken. She chose to put her faith in physical paperwork over computers.

She sat back and sighed. Miranda was hoping for a civil race with Roberts, but it didn’t seem likely anymore.

…

The stage was set at the Orlando City Hall. Her parents and sister were standing just beyond the photographers along with half of Reid’s old team. She took a deep breath and held Reid’s hands.

“We can do this,” she said feeling nervous.

“Together we can do anything,” he said calmly.

“Play to win,” she said.

“Play to win,” he repeated.

Together they took their children out on to the stage. The kids waved as instructed and then stood to the side by Reid and Miranda walked to the podium. She took another deep breath and began.

“Welcome to the city of Orlando,” she said. “A place many of you come to enjoy time with your family. To my family this is home. A home where together we have thrived in and will always consider home in our hearts.

Today I stand before you as a humble servant whose only aspiration is to serve my country better. Washington insiders like to call me ‘the master’. The only thing I have ever wanted the master is how to serve my country in the best way possible. I believe I have done my duty in Congress well but I know I can do better, but not in the role I have been elected to. I want to do better and I know I can.

Ladies and gentleman I am here to announce my wish to become President of the United States of America!”

Her ears were filled with the roar of applause. When it faded a little she continued.

“The journey will be long and difficult at times. I have my failings and my opponents will use and exaggerate them to build a case against me. I will challenge them in return in the most civil way possible. I will no doubt stumble at times because I am human but I know that I will grow stronger every time I pick myself up. Ladies and Gentleman I believe I am your candidate for the Democratic Party and future President! Thank you and let the journey begin!”

The crowds cheered again but she was only focused on Reid. He was positively beaming with pride. She walked to him and hugged him. Alex and Rachel joined the hug as well. They could do this. They could do this together.


	7. Chapter 7

CBS: “Face the Nation with Daniel Handlesmith”

“So who is Miranda Reid? Some say she is too much of a Washington insider. Others say she knows how to get things done in DC and will do the same in the White House. Thoughts?”

“I think the fact that they call her ‘The Master,’ says it all,” said political analyst Jodi Moore. “She is so high on her own power that she gets a title.”

“I don’t think that is fair,” Washington Post editor Tyler Smith said. “She did not choose that name. Let’s not forget that there are other unofficial names floated around such as ‘the powers that be’ and William Snyder is called ‘King of the Hill’”

“But none of them are running for the nomination,” Moore said.

“Let’s get to some polling shall we?” Handlesmith said. “Of the six candidates Roberts has a slight lead over Marklund. Reid second-last over Salinas. Reactions?”

“I think if Reid runs a strong campaign she’ll get the name recognition in time and climb in the polls,” Smith said.

“I still think people will be turned off by ‘the master’ running for office.”

“We’ll see what happens. Thanks for tuning in for the last segment of Face the Nation.”

FOX: James Wilson, “The Wilson Hour”

“So who is Miranda Reid? They call her the Master on Capitol Hill yet she claims she is no such thing. I’ve spoken with my sources in the Hill and they say she can be very cold and calculating. ‘Ice Queen’ might be a better name for her. They also say she keeps a chess set by her at all times. Some say it is an intimidation tool. Look we need someone smart at the White House but not someone who likes to scare people away.”

CNN:  “Mornings with Joyce and Jeremy”

“Moving on to the next candidate, Miranda Reid,” Joyce said. “Some say she is too much of a Washington insider compared to the rest of the pack.”

“Technically, we have two senators and two representatives running so this race is full of Washington insiders,” Jeremy said. “She just happens to the one earned a nick name for her service. What I think we’re not addressing enough is her close connections to the FBI.”

“True, her husband worked for the FBI and is said to have a very close relationship with the Director and other high-ranking officials. Can we trust her to be fair and take charge when necessary?”

“I’m not sure, which is why I’m asking.”

CNBC: “Gail Ripon Time”

“So who is Spencer Reid? The other half of the Reid power couple. Sources close to her campaign say that the congresswoman wants her husband and children involved on the campaign trail as little as possible. Outside sources say he is a genius and both their children are geniuses which is why they attend the prestigious Paolo School in Orlando. But there is no question that her husband who has worked for the FBI for twenty plus years probably has a few skeletons in his closet.”

TBS: “Full Frontal with Anna Dowles”

“So let’s move on to Miranda Reid: The Master. I love it! The master at beating down mostly men to do her will for the good of the country. Some call her cold and calculating. I call her the candidate we need to whip congress into submission to get things done.

Her campaign manager Whitney Fleming turned off the computer screen in the hotel room in New Hampshire. “Those are the highlights. The rest of the late night comedians didn’t have anything funny to add.”

“Did anyone’s eyes bleed out watching Fox?” Miranda asked.

“We keep a bottle of whiskey for them on hand when watching the cable stations. Don’t worry, it’s watered down.”

Miranda rolled her eyes and then took notes. “So the words I picked out were Ice Queen, Political Insider, Untrustworthy, and Dominatrix from Anna Dowles.”

“Please take the last one as a compliment,” Fleming said.

“Don’t let my kids access any computer without the safe setting on it. Though I have no doubt they’ll be asking me what the word means anyway,” she said.

“Leave that to your husband then,” Fleming said.

Miranda rubbed her forehead. “Five more days of this and then I’ll be back in DC for Rossi’s picnic.”

“Hey, this is the easy part. This stuff only gets tougher from here,” she said.

“I know. I know. I just want to go and have some fun with Spencer’s side of the family.”

“Any chance we can get a few professional shots taken of you guys?”

“I’ll take a few and post them online, I promise,” she said.

…

Michael was showing off his license to Hank. “It has a chip embedded in it as a counterfeit deterrent and everything.”

J.J. put the potato salad on the table while Savanah and Will worked the grill. “But you can only have two other people in the car at any time and have to be home before midnight.”

“Yes mom,” he said.

Henry was introducing his fiancé to Reid, Miranda, and Rossi. “Guys this is Cora.”

She had her hair cut short in a pixie-cut. “I’m sorry I’m feeling a little star-struck. I just feel so honored to be invited to such a private event.”

“You’re officially going to become part of the family so that’s reason enough,” Rossi said.

“I promise I’m not going to share anything to anyone outside my family,” she said.

“Cora,” Miranda said. “Breath. You’re here to impress Spencer not me.”

“So you’re studying to be a neurological surgeon,” Reid said. “That sounds fascinating, are you working with stem cells?”

“Yes, Yale is at the cutting edge of researching the regeneration of cells in that medical field.”

“Mommy!” someone shouted.

“That’s my cue,” Miranda said. “Cora you seem like a great person. Henry be good to her. I have to go.”

Miranda rushed to the direction of her daughter whose knee was bleeding. “It hurts,” she cried.

“Oh sweety I bet it does,” she said and gave her daughter a hug.

Garcia appeared with a first aid kit. “Never leave for a picnic without one,” she said.

 “Thank you Penelope. This is going to sting a little,” she said applying some ointment. She then pulled out a Band-Aid and placed it on her knee.

“Feeling better?” she asked.

Rachel nodded. “Can I go back and play on the swings now?”

“Just be a little more careful okay?”

Garcia looked to her. “I’ll look after. I’d love to see your daughter’s swinging skills.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said Garcia ran after her daughter.

“If only more of the world’s problems could be solved that way.”

Miranda turned around to see Hotch approaching her. She smiled and he quickly hugged her.

“It is good to see you.”

“How are you holding up?”

“The journey is just beginning and I am more than prepared to continue.”

“How are you really feeling?”

“Terrified that I won’t have the momentum to keep going.”

“You do. I know you have it in you.”

“Thanks Hotch.”

Reid approached them. “Hey Hotch,” he said. “How’s Jack?”

“Jack is doing well. He’s sorry he couldn’t get away from school.”

“It’s what happens when you decide to study international law,” Reid.

“I couldn’t be prouder.”

Rossi appeared with Morgan and Alex who were both wearing baseball gloves.

Hotch grinned. “Working on your slider sport?”

“I understand the mechanics of the sport but implementing is proving more difficult.”

“It just takes practice,” Hotch said and turned to Morgan.

“It is good to see you too Morgan.”

“We rarely see you out these days,” Morgan. “I hope you’re not working crazy hours like back in the BAU days.”

“I’m not Morgan, there is just more to being a director than the nine to five work day.”

“Dinner!” J.J. shouted.

Everyone convened at the table where Lewis had just finished setting plates. Reid spoke about recent cases he reviewed. Lewis described the challenges of being a section chief. Rossi spoke about the recent vintage car he acquired. Old stories about cases were shared along with Reid’s one and only appearance on the soft ball field which their kids always laughed at. Miranda sat back and absorbed it all, particularly Reid enjoying time with his BAU family. She wanted the job for many reasons but he was probably the biggest of them all.


	8. Chapter 8

It was September and the first debates were scheduled. CNN was hosting one of them at the University of Southern California. They were in a conference room in Des Moines practicing questions. Miranda was bored and playing a game of chess.

“Roberts is going to paint the world as doom and gloom under Lang’s tenure. Salinas is going echo it and say her plan for a brighter future is better. Cooper is going to talk about his experience about making a plan to work with the republicans. Marklund is going to target Howe for his youth and handling of a recent natural disaster and Howe will get defensive.”

“And what will you be?” Fleming said.

“Trying not to look bored.”

“You’re beginning to ‘thaw’ in the polls,” their pollster said. “People are getting to know you and like your platforms.”

“In other words,” Fleming said. “Show up and look like you’re eager to play. Just because you’re smarter than all of them combined doesn’t entitle you to a free pass at the debates.”

“Roberts could go after you, you know,” Geena her chief of staff said. “He gave you a vicious look when we were passing his campaign bus the other day.”

Miranda moved more pieces. “In which case I’ll play nice and above the fray.”

Fleming looked like she wanted to hit something. Their debate coach rolled his eyes.

“Congresswoman, please try to take this seriously,” he said. “You need to give a good performance to set the tone for your campaign.”

“There are too many pieces moving. I won’t get enough attention to set a tone,” Miranda said.

“Let’s just go over some questions,” another staffer suggested.

“That sounds good,” Fleming said jumping on the idea. “Let’s keep it loose and random.”

Miranda put the chess set away. “Fine, let’s start.”

…

“My staff wants to kill me,” Miranda said over the phone while Reid reviewed case files from home. The kids had sleepovers so he had the house to himself.

“Isn’t it a little early in the campaign sweetheart?”

Miranda laughed. “I can see all the moving parts but I can’t figure out where I belong.”

“Could you be overthinking it?”

“Probably,” she said. “What do I do?”

“Aren’t you paying a lot people to help you do that?”

“I don’t know. I can’t believe I’m feeling this nervous and out of place.”

Reid looked at a family photo he had hanging on the wall. “Think of Alex and Rachel.”

“The audience isn’t full of MacArthur Award candidates.”

“Think of the future you want for them. Think of their innocence. Think of the bold future they’re going to create with the groundwork you’ve laid.”

“Their future not mine,” she said. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Reid said. “Now go win the debate.”

…

“The first question is about immigration reform, Congresswoman Reid you have one minute to answer the question.”

She looked to audience and pretended Alex and Rachel were there.

“I think immigration reform starts with a streamlined path to citizenship. It is also important not forget that what we say and do will affect the future generations to come. I am here because I want my children to live in a country where immigrants are given a fair wage and opportunities to become citizens.”

“And go to the same schools as your kids?” Roberts sneered. “Paolo is not that easy to get into.”

“Paolo has a terrific scholarship program,” Miranda said holding her ground. “I believe immigrants should be afforded a path to citizenship that will allow for them to choose whichever form of schooling they feel meets the needs of their children. Children are the future and we cannot forget that when we throw around ideas to get the most attention. We can and must do better…”

Fleming watched from the sidelines. Geena moved to her side.

“You tried talking her out of dating Spencer Reid right?”

“Yes and it one of the dumbest things I have ever attempted.”

Fleming watched as Miranda looked more confident on stage. “I had a future mapped out for her but she set it on fire when she married him. And I couldn’t be happier to be so wrong.”

Geena offered a fist. “Cheers Whitney,”

“Cheers,” Fleming said knocking it.


	9. Chapter 9

It was December sixth and Kirk Roberts was ready to break something. They were in North Carolina prepping for the final debate of the year. As Miranda Reid had predicted, he was losing momentum and the desperation in his voice showed. The only good news to come out recently was that Cooper, the New York senator had dropped out due to a family illness.

The mood was somber in the hotel room used for debate prep. Roberts looked tired and sounded frustrated when. He barely handled softball questions. The congressman was desperate to attack his other opponents, especially Howe and Reid who were gaining the most ground.

“Kirk,” his chief of staff Jason said. “We’re getting nowhere and you know it. Let’s take five.”

“No,” Roberts said. “I want the red file.”

There were barely-contained gasps.

“Kirk,” Jason said. “You paid almost ten thousand dollars for this folder. Are sure you want to use it now?”

“Yes,” he said firmly. “I want to bury Miranda Reid and prove I am at the top of my game!”

…

“Congress woman Reid, you’ve asserted that new alternative energy options should be explored at the cost of investing in the cheap natural energy resources we have. Why do you feel these investments are important?”

“Because we are going to one day run out of these natural resources,” Miranda said. “Countless studies have also shown the dangers of putting a strain on these resources. It can already be seen in the drinking water and plant life.”

“Congressman Roberts do you have a rebuttal?”

“I believe natural energy resources are our future as we do not know how deep our energy reserves are,” Roberts calmly. “I also believe Congresswoman Reid has poor judgement as she married a drug addict who jeopardized lives because he hid it from his colleagues.”

Miranda gave Roberts a look so threatening it took him by surprise.

“My husband has worked as an FBI agent for twenty-three years. What the congressman said is true, he is a drug addict, but he NEVER jeopardized the lives of his fellow agents. There are a handful of people that will argue he did in one instance but from the viewpoint of his supervisors he didn’t nothing wrong. My husband has been seeking continuous treatment for his addiction. I trust him with my life and the lives of my children.”

Roberts held his ground. “An addict is still an addict. I do not trust your judgement Miranda.”

Miranda looked like she wanted the claw his eyes out. “One in every ten Americans over the age of twelve suffers from addiction to drugs and alcohol. Only eleven percent seek treatment. In my healthcare reform plan I intend to help users get the treatment they need like my husband did.”

“Because you got the idea to create one from me just now,” Roberts said.

“It is in a link you can see on my website,” she said.

“Let’s get back on track,” the moderator said. “Governor Howe you pledged to simplify the tax code…”

Miranda and Roberts spent the rest of the debate staring daggers at each other.

…

“We knew there was a chance it would be brought up some day,” Fleming said as they got on the bus to the airport.

“Roberts is losing and he’s desperate,” Miranda said. “He’ll say anything to get attention.”

Their media specialist stepped forward. “And he’s getting it. You may have sounded calm Miranda but your body language and facial expressions indicated otherwise.”

“So I’m ‘Angry Reid’ for a few days,” she snapped. “He attacked my husband!”

“I suggested paying off the sheriffs in that one county,” Fleming said.

“And I suggested you write up your resignation if you ever brought up bribery again.”

“Ma’am we do have to face the issue head on now,” Geena prompted. “There’s going to be a broader discussion and we need to lead. We need your husband.”

“Pick a reporter and have him do an interview,” Miranda said and sighed. “There was a time when if you said something like that it would sink your campaign.”

Fleming shook her head. “We just don’t know anymore.”

Miranda turned on her headphones and put them on loud. She got lost in the sound of Stravinsky’s _The Firebird_. The media specialist approached Fleming.

“Is there something more I should know about Spencer Reid’s addiction? Like how did it start?”

“You are not paid to know the answers to such questions,” Fleming said without looking up.

“I think I am,” he said boldly.

She stared at him. “I don’t know that answer. Miranda made it clear that she only wanted it revealed when her children were old enough to understand.”

“Her kids are geniuses. Shouldn’t they be able to understand anything?”

“I feel the strong urge to kick you off the bus,” she menacingly. “It is about emotional maturity. Any other dumb questions?”

“No, Ma’am,” he said hurrying back to his seat.

…

“That could have easily blown up in our faces,” Roberts’ campaign manager Jason said at the airport bar.

“But it didn’t,” Roberts’s media specialist said Violet said. “People want to know how and when an FBI agent got hooked on drugs. Some are calling Roberts’s accusations a stunt. Others say it showed the congressman he had a new level of vigor that he hasn’t shown all throughout the primary.”

He took another drink of his scotch and ice. “I remember a time when personal attacks were a sign of desperation.”

“The world has changed a lot in the past fifteen years. Some of it is good, some not so much,” she said. “I’m curious to see how Reid retaliates.”

“For attacking her husband?” he said and shook his head. “Without mercy.”


	10. Chapter 10

Miranda was prepping for one final stump speech in New Hampshire with notes in one hand and a chess set in the other. Fleming approached her.

“The interview is being taped this afternoon,” she said. “Are you sure it is wise to not have someone practice questions with him from our staff?”

“He’ll be fine,” she said without looking up and moved pieces. “I wished him luck an hour ago.”

“Stacey Moran is one of the most brutal reporters we could have chosen.”

“Which means she’ll root out the facts about Spencer’s life before Roberts can.”

“Miranda, this is crazy,” she said.

“You’ve said that to me before.”

“Really crazy to let her into the house without you in it. You’re making a big gambol.”

Mrianda briefly looked up. “Spencer needs to be the star of this narrative for it to work.”

Fleming didn’t say anything.

“You’re afraid he’ll mess up,” she said accusingly. “You’re afraid he’ll start speaking a mile a minute and not look Moran in the eye when he gets nervous.”

“His quirks are what you love about him,” Fleming said steadily. “But they aren’t always adorable.”

“I trust Spencer to handle the situation,” she said firmly. “And that is the end of this discussion.”

She returned her attention to her notes. Fleming walked away without saying another word.

…

Reid as instructed, guided the camera crew and Stacy Moran through the house.

“This is our home,” he said pleasantly. “We eat our breakfast at the island and dinner at the kitchen table. Our kids do their homework at kitchen table after we clean up.”

“So where are the kids now?” Moran asked.

“Rachel and Alex are with Beth Simone, Miranda’s sister. They’re trying to teach their six-year-old cousin chess.”

“How fun, isn’t that how you met your wife? At a chess tournament.” Moran said as they walked into the family room.

“Yes, I beat her by five moves. She was so impressed she agreed to have coffee with me afterwards and we talked about chess the whole time.”

“That is very unique,” she said with small chuckle. “Very different.”

“This where we have Thursday board game night,” he said upon entering the family room. “They get very competitive and we try to teach them the importance of fairness and enjoying the game because they are just games.”

“You’re kids are said to be geniuses and you are a genius, yourself. Do you think the congresswoman ever feels overwhelmed by this?” she said rapidly.

“I don’t often like to think of myself or my kids as geniuses. I prefer to think of them as being extraordinarily bright.”

“Brighter than your wife?”

“No,” he said. “They reflect her intelligence in different ways.”

“You have a lovely family Mr. Reid,” she said, looking at a picture on display. The cameraman zoomed in on it.

“Thank you,” he said.

They then sat down in the dining room where lighting, sound, and cameras had been set up.

“So tell me about how you proposed to her,” she said.

“Well it was when we are the verge of breaking up,” he said with a smile. “It was a year into our courtship and our last conversation was about how she loved me but not enough to ask me to change my whole life for her. She wanted to do to great things for her district in Florida and was afraid to ask me to come with her.”

“My understanding is that you are quite close with the agents you work with,” she said.

“I consider many of them family,” he said, “But I loved Miranda more. I knew her work schedule by heart and saw she was giving a tour of the Capital. I met her in the rotunda and said she was my family. I would go to the ends of the earth for her if that is she wanted. I pointed to the walls and said if this is where she wanted to be remembered then I wanted to be standing by her side.

“Did you have ring?” she asked sweetly.

“I asked her using the queen from the chess set I kept at work,” he said. “A symbol of my commitment to her.”

“How romantic,” she said. “Do you think her desire to become president stems in part from her desire to see you rejoin your ‘family’ in DC?”

“I think my wife wants to be president for a variety of reasons. But I believe her main reason is because she feels she is the best person for the job. Ultimately I can’t read her mind though and if she wants to president partly so I am closer to my friends in DC that is her choice.”

“What about your nuclear family though? Your wife has made a point to address people suffering from schizophrenia as your mother has the condition. Would you say you had a difficult childhood especially since your father filed for divorce from her when you were twelve?”

“I love my mother dearly,” he said calmly. “I could not ask for a better mother. Being raised by her made me a stronger person. She means the world to me.”

“You had her committed against her will when you were eighteen. That must have been a difficult decision.”

“I thought I was doing what was best for her,” he said.

“Are you worried your children might have schizophrenia in the future because of her current state?”

“The odds decrease with each generation and I worry about them having all sorts of abnormalities as any parent would. I always want what’s best for them.”

“Let’s talk about your drug addiction,” she said. “When did you start taking drugs and what kind?”

“When I was twenty-five, I became addicted to a narcotic was during a case. I withheld information about it from my team and I regret doing so. I realized within three months of the onset of my addiction that I needed help and I sought it.”

“Would you like to elaborate on the incident that lead to your addiction?”

“I will not elaborate because it connected to a sealed case file,” he said. “I think the only thing the public needs to know is that my judgement was not impaired while I was on the job.”

“What about the case where a heavily armed teen walked up to a sheriff’s station and you blocked their shot in the event he chose to turn violent?”

“I believed I had the situation under control and I did. I can understand why some believe differently. My supervisor did not agree with my decision and I followed his lead on similar incidents that followed.”

“You specialize in statistics, correct?”

“Yes,” he said carefully.

“Then looking at all the facts and figures do believe that your wife will become president of the United States?”

“I do,” he said confidently.

“Why?”

“Because I believe I know my wife better than anyone on the planet and I believe she is capable of winning the general election.”

Moran smiled. “Thank you Spencer. This has been a highly enlightening experience. I believe the public will learn a lot from this interview.”

“I hope so,” he said smiled in return.

“Cut!” the producer said.

Moran offered her hand. “Thank you. It has been a real pleasure.”

He shook it. “Thank you.”

The camera crew quickly moved out and Reid bid them goodbye. His hands started shaking as he closed the door. His phone rang and he saw it was Miranda. The bile was growing in throat. He dropped the phone on the kitchen table and ran upstairs.

Reid became violently sick in the bathroom. It took him several minutes to regain his bearings. After washing his hands he felt for his chip and rubbed it frantically. He left the bathroom and went down stairs to grab his phone.

He didn’t call Miranda, he called his sponsor. It had been five years since the last time he called him. Reid knew this was all part of the process. That didn’t mean some parts would be easy for him and he’s have to act accordingly.


	11. Chapter 11

Miranda arrived home the next day early in the evening. She hugged him so hard he nearly tipped over.

“I’m killing her,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m going to kill her and stick her head on Roberts’ lawn as a warning.”

“Kids, Mommy’s home!” he said announced.

“Mommy!” Rachel squealed and reached for a hug.

She turned and hugged her daughter. “How’s my best girl?”

“I got my first perfect score on a spelling test,” she said brightly.

“What was the hardest word?”

“Cnemidocoptes,” she said.

“And what does that mean?”

“A specific genus of mites important to livestock,” Alex announced and then hugged Miranda. “I think dad’s interview with Stacy Moran helped you gain six points in polls over Roberts.”

“How did you do on your latest English essay?” she asked.

“Are you purposely changing the conversation topic?”

“Yes, now tell me about your latest English essay. Your father said Mrs. Wendt says you’ve made great improvement with identifying themes.”

“The essay topics are so boring,” he said. “Why can’t they ask me about the moral philosophical differences between you and Howe?”

“Maybe next year?” Reid said.

Alex sighed. “He’ll be out of the race after Super Tuesday.”

Miranda pulled off her coat. “Have you guys eaten yet? How about I cook a frozen pizza?”

“Sounds good to me,” Reid said.

“I do like Marco’s frozen pizzas,” Alex said.

“Me too!” Rachel said.

“Then it’s a unanimous majority!” Miranda said. “Let’s start!”

…

Four hours later Reid and Miranda were getting ready for bed.

“So how many times do I have to say I’m sorry before you forgive me?”

“However many it takes for you to forgive yourself,” he said. “As I said over the phone there is nothing to be sorry for from me.”

“She attacked you Spencer,” she said. “She attacked you, your mother, and our family. I thought I picked the most fair and balanced journalist. I never would have imagined she’d go after you like that.”

“Miranda, I’m fine,” he said.

“You know how I can tell when you’re lying?” she asked.

“How?” he said suddenly.

“When you react like that after I accuse you of lying,” she said. “I’m really sorry.”

Reid pulled her into his arms. “I know,” he said and kissed her.

“You are so perfect,” she said dreamily.

“I don’t want to do another TV interview until you secure the nomination and I want a member of your team with me. And no more meetings with Stacey Moran.”

“Deal,” she said kissed him back.

Reid carefully picked her up and laid her on the bed.

“I love you Miranda, my queen,” he said.

“I love you, my king.”

…

It was the day before Christmas and Miranda was baking up a storm.

“I can’t believe Brandon’s bringing family from Minnesota,” she said. “I thought he hated that part of the family.”

Reid was cleaning dishes. “Maybe the election is putting things in fresh perspective for your brother-in-law’s family.”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Must everything revolve around the elections?”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“The ghosts of Christmas Present, Past and Future visited Greg and he decided to reconcile with his uncle Brandon and bring his wife and six kids up to join the family for Christmas with only three days advance notice.”

Reid put a soap bubble on her nose. “Admit you enjoy doing this more than campaigning right now.”

“I hate you,” she said and rubbed the bubble on his cheek.

…

“Merry Christmas!” Simone announced enthusiastically when she opened the door.

Rachel stepped forward.

“We brought extra food for Uncle Brandon’s side of the family!”

“How thoughtful of you,” she said.

Alex came next. “Wouldn’t it have been more thoughtful of them if they were to have announced earlier that they were coming?”

“Alex!” Miranda and Reid said together.

“It’s true. Mom, you were baking all day.”

Brandon appeared. “I promise it’s worth it. Why don’t you guys put that stuff in the kitchen where Tommy is while I introduce your mom and dad to the Bocrese family?”

“Okay,” they both said and followed Simone into the kitchen.

They went through the living room to get to the main family room. Reid covered his mouth while Miranda screamed.

J.J. hugged Reid first followed by Morgan. Garcia and Savannah hugged Miranda. Alex and Rachel ran in when they heard the noise and were hugged by Michael and Hank. Hotch and Jack joined in on exchanging hugs. Reid was nearly in tears.

Miranda approached Brandon. “You still hate that side of the family?”

Brandon was giddy with joy. “We’re on each other’s Christmas card lists now. Wow, fooling a profiler and his family? That is one thing to cross off my bucket list.”

The doorbell rang. Alex and Rachel ran ahead to answer it.

“Ho Ho Ho,” Rossi said dryly as he appeared with a Santa hat. “J.J. tried to talk me into wearing a Santa suit but I refused.”

“You’re behind all this aren’t you?” Reid said as he hugged him. “If you pulled off a surprise wedding, this isn’t a big stretch.”

Miranda appeared. “But where are you staying?” she asked. “There are never any hotel rooms this time of year.”

“When your last book stayed at the top of the best-seller list for a record three months, accommodations can be made. Come on I smell ham.”

Miranda ran and hugged her sister in the kitchen. “Thank you,” she said.

“David offered to pay me but I refused,” she said simply.

She turned to watch Reid talk to Morgan as Rossi handed out presents.

“He deserved this after what he went through for you,” she said.

“I know and he deserves more,” Miranda said.

“You’ll give it to him,” she said. “I know you will. Now help me check on the ham.”

“How’d I get such I wise little sister?” she asked.

“You can’t be the only one who inherited brains in the family.”

Reid turned to Hotch. “I’m sorry we didn’t bring anything.”

“That’s the point of the surprise Reid,” he said. “Seeing you is enough.”

“Thank you.”

“How are you holding up?” he asked seriously.

“I’m okay. The interview wasn’t easy but I pushed through it.”

“I could see that,” Hotch said. “You’re strong Spencer. Stronger than you know. You’ll get through this. You and Miranda make a great team that I hope to see in the White House.”

“Thank you Aaron,” he said.

“We’re all just a phone away if you need us.”

“I know,” he said.

“And we’ll all be here for at least three days.”

Alex’s head whipped around to see Hotch. “Yay!”

 


	12. Chapter 12

“It feels great to be home!” Miranda said entering her office in DC. She plopped down into her chair behind the desk.

“Don’t get used to it,” Fleming said. “You’re here for three days then back on the campaign trail.”

“Spoilsport,” she said. “I have three days to do work that requires at least ten. This should be fun.”

“You are in a phenomenally good mood for someone who is in third place in the polls,” Fleming said.

“I know. This is what happens when your husband’s work family from DC ambushes him on Christmas and his face lights up brighter than the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza.”

“You know there’s going to be blowback from that right? The FBI director spending Christmas with a candidate for president.”

“On my list of worries that ranks pretty low. Now be gone!” she said dramatically. “There are congressmen to hound, lobbyists to humor, and legislation to read.”

Fleming grinned in spite of herself. “Try not to have too much fun, otherwise you’ll be stuck here.”

Miranda made a face at her and Fleming rolled her eyes.

“See you later,” she said and left.

Annabeth peaked her head in. “It is great to have back! Even if for a little while.”

Miranda spun in her chair. “It is good to be back, for a little while.”

…

It was past seven when Miranda began to finally pack up. It felt good to do some work she had been elected to do. She aspired to do great things but working on legislation humbled her again.

There was a knock on her out door. She was tempted to pull out her pepper spray but she knew better. There were no such thing as secrets in Washington.

She opened it to find William Snyder waiting in a white-tie suit.

“I’m due at a fundraising gala a block from here,” he said with a smile. “I heard you were back in town for a few days and wanted to drop by to see how you were doing.”

 She gestured to a seat by her secretary’s desk. “Well, you’ve seen the polls. I think I’m on track to securing the nomination.”

“I believe that too,” he said. “But I also think you could be doing better.”

“I wasn’t expecting Roberts to still be strong at this point.”

“Your husband did an admirable job tamping those flames down. You should use him more.”

Miranda tried to contain her disgust. “Sir I need him to take care of things at home.”

“I know I can’t tell you how to run your campaign but your husband is your most valuable asset,” he said. “He is extremely smart and very likable. Something you could use more of.”

These weren’t suggestions. They were orders.

“I’ll consider it sir.”

“I hope you will because, at this gala I’ll be pushing for you. I want to tell them they’ll be seeing a softer more personable side of you in the future. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

He stood up and adjusted his tie. “Have a good evening Miranda.”

“You too Senator.”

After he left Miranda shut the door and rested her head on it. She suddenly wanted to get out of DC as quickly as possible.

…

Lang listened to Hotch finish his briefing carefully and took notes. He asked questions about the issues he addressed and it was generally a very typical meeting. Once they were done Lang casually asked:

“How was Disneyland? I plan on taking my grandkids there once I’m out of office in four years,” he said.

Hotch didn’t miss a beat. “We actually went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It was exceptionally fun. Thank you for asking.”

“I understand you also spent some time with one of my chief opponents.”

“I consider Miranda and Spencer Reid close friends,” he said seriously. “I will not let my relationship with them cloud the vision of my duties—“

Lang smiled. “At ease Director. I trust you to be professional at the highest level as you always have been.”

“Thank you Sir,” he said uncertainly.

“I saw that interview with Stacy Moran. That must have been tough to watch especially since the incidents were under your supervision.”

“It wasn’t easy no,” he said. “But I knew Spencer Reid could handle the situation as he has handled numerous other more difficult situations.”

 “You think highly of him don’t you?” Lang said.

“He is one of the best agents I have had the privilege of personally supervising.”

“It must have been difficult seeing him leave.”

“I had already moved on to another assignment, so the good-bye weren’t as intimately difficult.”

“I bet you still missed seeing him around DC though.”

“I did but I also knew how much he loved Miranda and that being with her mattered more than anything to him.”

There was a pause in the conversation.

Lang stood up. “I’ll let you get back to work. Have a good day Director.”

“Have a good day. Mr. President,” he said and left.

…

“So the Commander in Chief wanted details about my relationship with Spencer,” Miranda said from an airport terminal.

“With very little subtly,” he said. “He sees you as a threat I believe.”

“Well that is a sign my campaign is doing well if the president is paying attention to it,” she said.

“You don’t sound pleased.”

“I’m just rattled,” she said. “I had an encounter with the King of the Hill. He wants me to use Spencer more.”

“Spencer isn’t someone to use Miranda. He is your partner and deserves a voice in all discussions relating to him and the campaign.”

“I know but it is more complicated when the order comes from the King.”

“I thought the Queen was the most powerful piece on any chessboard.”

“There is something called Queen sacrifice for material advantage. I am replaceable Hotch.”

“Play to win Miranda but not at the sacrifice of _your_ king.”

“Kings can’t be sacrificed Hotch,”

“Which further enforces my point.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

“Carl Sagan once said ‘We’re made of star stuff,’” Reid said in a Des Moines high school auditorium. “What that means is that elements such as the carbon and nitrogen in our bodies was made in stars over four billion years ago.”

“That is very interesting Dr. Reid,” Miranda said. “But why does that matter? How is that useful information outside the classroom?”

“I’m glad you asked dear,” he said with a smile. “Because we as humans are not the only things that are made of star stuff. Plants, animals, and the air we breathe comes from stars that exploded billions of years ago. We are turning the very unique elements that make us into new toxic combinations that threaten to destroy our planet.”

“’Destroy our planet.’ Aren’t you being a little dramatic honey? The worst that is happening is that the world is getting a little warmer. Now you’re from Nevada and I’m Florida so we both know something about handling the heat.”

“But there is more than that. Polar bears are on the verge of extinction. Our dependence on livestock for food has increased the level of methane in the atmosphere.”

“But I like my hamburgers!” she said.

“Not as much as my garlic chicken,” he said.

There was some laughter.

“Let’s get back on your global warming tirade,” she said. “What else is making the world end?”

“It is making the ocean more acidic. Cyclones are becoming more common and extreme weather changes are causing havoc to crops.”

“Okay wait one second, my dear hubby,” Miranda said suddenly. “You have PHDs in math, chemistry, and engineering. Why should you be lecturing us about global warming? You’re not a climatologist.”

“You don’t need to be climatologist to care about global warming or have PHDs for that matter. I studied this on the side using common resources that can found through google searches or your website,” he said with a wink.

“Thanks for the plug dear,” she said.

“Anytime,” he said.

“This concludes our discussion, now it’s time to open it up to you. What scientific questions do you have for my husband, Dr. Spencer Reid? How about you first?”

She pointed to a man wearing suit and glasses who was slightly bald.

“Do you think creationism should be taught in the classroom?”

“I think it is up to the state to decide how and whether creationism should be taught alongside evolution,” he said diplomatically.

“What about creationism only?” the man asked.

“I believe that children are entitled to the best scientific evidence available,” he said. “And I believe that evolutions provides more answers that creationism can. I’m not say creationism shouldn’t be taught, I simply believe the state educations system should decide.”

“Do we have another question?” Miranda asked. “How about you?” she said pointing to the young woman in a T-shirt and jeans with a red braid.

“You’re a man of science particularly chemistry,” she said. “How could you allow yourself to get addicted to drugs?”

“It was not by choice,” he said firmly. “What happened that resulted in my addiction is in a sealed casefile. I could face some sort of penalty for revealing any information.”

“Next question,” Miranda said. “How about you?” She said pointing to the middle-aged woman in a suit with thick curly dark hair.

“Who do you admire most?”

“Saanvi Khanna,” he said. “The Prime Minister of India. She is a noted young philosopher who grew in one of the poorest parts of parts of Mumbai to become one of the strongest voices in global politics with regards to climate improvement”

“She is a great choice,” Miranda said. “But what about me?”

“She didn’t ask who I loved the most,” he said and took her hand. “She asked who I admired the most.”

“Okay how about one last question?” Miranda said. “You in the back.” She said pointing to a young man with short blond hair wearing blue coveralls.

“How can I get involved in the fight against global warming?” he asked. “I’m just the school custodian.”

“Don’t ever say ‘just’ about yourself,” Reid said. “You’re here because you wanted to listen. The next step is to go online and learn more. Talk to your friends about it and consider small changes to your life-style. Nothing big. Every small change counts in the fight to slow the process of global warming.”

“Thank you!” Miranda said and audience stood up and applauded them.

Once they left the stage Miranda hugged him deeply. Reid hugged her back breathing in her scents.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I’d do anything for you,” he whispered.

“I know and you’re too good for me.”

“Play to win,” he said.

“Play to win,” she repeated and said to herself: _At any cost._


	14. Chapter 14

 

CNN: “Mornings with Joyce and Jeremy”

“So yesterday we had a rare glimpse into the relationship between congresswoman Miranda Reid and her husband Spencer,” Joyce said. “Those two looked quite lovey dovey especially when they didn’t think there were any cameras around.”

“Yes, it shows she has a softer side. It’s a wonder she hasn’t brought him around more as a contrast to her sometimes chilly exterior. I mean the kids are probably okay with a sitter more than once a month. We’ve seen other political families do it.”

“But I don’t think any family has had two geniuses under one roof.”

“Which raises the question of why they aren’t in boarding school. It is probably a more suitable atmosphere if they don’t feel comfortable leaving their kids with family all the time.”

“That is a good point.”

Fox: “The Morning News Andrew, Amy and Broderick.”

“So Spencer Reid doesn’t admire our own president the most. How un-American is that?” Amy said.

“Extremely,” Broderick said. “Mike Lang came from a working-class family and put himself through law school. There is a something very noble about that and Spencer doesn’t seem to grasp it.”

“What about that hug after the event, did that look staged to you?” Andrew said.

“Extremely staged,” Amy said.

CNBC: “Waking Up with Tara, Sam, and Johnny”

“So Miranda Reid’s other half Spencer gave a brief talk on climate change followed by a tense Q&A session. I thought Spencer did quite well,” Sam said.

“I did too and it showed a lot of nerve naming the Indian Prime Minister as the person he admired the most,” Tara said.

“They seemed to have a good rapport too,” Johnny said. “Though it seemed a little too rehearsed.”

“There has been pressure for Spencer Reid to make an appearance on the campaign trail and that is what we got,” Tara said. “Which isn’t bad.”

“It highlighted a closeness with her husband we have not seen before,” Sam said, “This is something that might help her in the polls.”

Fleming turned off the computer monitor in the hotel room in Boise. Miranda put her head on the table. “Must we watch Fox every time we have these sessions?”

“You need to see all the viewpoints,” she said. “How is Spencer?”

“We talk about the kids,” she said. “I tried to apologize for not telling him about the photographer but he doesn’t want to hear it.”

“You did what you needed to do Miranda,” Fleming said. “I checked with our finance manager. We received twenty grand after that event was shown on TV. The powers that be are pleased.”

She sat back up. “Well that’s lovely news.”

“Miranda,” Fleming said seriously. “What happened to Reid that got him addicted to drugs?”

“You’re really going to ask me that?” she said, shocked.

“I need know so I can protect you better. I saw Spencer’s first reaction. He wanted to bolt the stage before composing himself. This is going to keep coming up and I don’t know what he is re-living every time it is mentioned. It will stay between us.”

“He was tortured,” she said. “He has told me all about it and the least horrific part is the drugs.”

 “I suspected as much. Now tell me, is the man responsible behind bars?”

“He’s dead,” Miranda said. “He was never in jail.”

Neither of them said anything.

Fleming touched her hand. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ll protect this information with my life.”

“Leak this to press in any way, shape, or form and I will use every resource I have to make your life miserable.”

“I expect no less,” she said.

…

Howe only beat her by two points. Roberts was eight points behind. Howe declared it a resounding victory. Miranda thanked her team for getting her this far vowed to take the fight New Hampshire. Roberts declared himself the underdog and said welcomed the fight to take on New Hampshire.

Reid congratulated her via face-time. “You did it honey and it was terrific. The kids can’t wait congratulate you.”

“Spencer I’m really sorry,” she pleaded.

“Miranda, you’re going to do things on this campaign that I am not going to like,” he said seriously. “One photo-op isn’t the end of the world. Next time tell me and I can layer it on some more.”

“It had to look spontaneous,” she said weakly.

“I’ll show you spontaneity on the next stop,” he said with a wicked grin. “I’ll see you new Hampshire.”

“It’s a date,” she said and fell back. She hoped that it would get easier.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

Lewis pointed to a map of Florida.

“Four children have been abducted from these areas. Within five miles of the dump site, the UNSUB picks up another child. No signs of sexual abuse but there is evidence they were bound and malnourished. They were also all found wearing orange jump suits.”

Reid used a laser pointer to outline the pattern. “It looks like the UNSUB is heading here next.”

“Are there any leads?” Vaughn Penn asked.

“Nothing substantial, the jump suits appear to be hand-sewn to fit the bodies. Which suggests the UNSUB already has another target picked out.”

Reid was reading the file. “Different pick up locations. Different ethnicities. Alternating between boys and girls. Age range of eight to fourteen. The only common pattern are the jump suits and the range of the dump sites.”

“The period between abductions is decreasing,” Lewis said. “It was six months for the first child, the four and a half for the second. We’re down to two weeks before the next abduction.”

“I don’t particularly want to think about what he is doing to the kids during that time,” Penn said.

“I need all of the ME’s notes,” Reid said. “We’re missing something important.”

Lewis smiled weakly. “I knew I could count on you Reid to help us.”

“Penn I need the south conference room with a white board, printer—“

“Take anything you need,” Penn said.

Reid suddenly looked at his watch. “I was due on a plane to New Hampshire twenty minutes ago.”

“I wouldn’t be asking you to stay if I didn’t need you,” Penn said.

“I know and I’m sure Miranda will understand.”

“Don’t count on her campaign to though.”

…

“This is outrageous. An embarrassment,” New Hampshire Senator Joe Canfield said in the hotel conference room. “How could your husband not show up for an event where you and _he_ are the highlight attendants?”

Miranda was busy checking her phone messages while wearing a green ball gown. “Sometimes his job takes priority.”

“Miranda this is _the party_ I am hosting for you. You said your husband would be able to show and suddenly he can’t. Is he really that camera-shy?”

She knew she should be more careful about her words as Canfield was a Powers that Be. But Reid explained children’s lives were at stake and she was losing patience with him.

“He is really that busy,” she said.

“What did he say he was busy with?”

“An on-going investigation,” she said.

“Miranda you need to win New Hampshire to stay in the race,” he said. “Your husband helped you last time. You need his help now.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “Senator, I am the one running for president. My husband has a very important job that I would not ask him to give up for the world. I can handle a ballroom myself if I have to. Now I need to prep my remarks for the event.”

Canfield still looked angry but left without saying another word.

Fleming had been watching it all.

“That could have gone worse,” she remarked. “So what are you going to do to make up for your husband’s absence?”

“Rent a pony?” Miranda said. “That was all he was going to be at this event. Something to show off to a bunch of wealthy people.”

“Would you care to elaborate to me about what your husband is doing?”

“Nope,” she said.

“We still need something,” Fleming said. “Something buzz-worthy to come out of this event.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with something.”

“You really are calm under pressure.”

“Proof that I can handle knowledge of the nuclear launch codes?”

“Very funny,” Fleming said. “I’ll leave you to your notes.”

…

“I’m sorry my husband could not be here tonight. He is currently tied up in a major case at the FBI Orlando office. What I can offer is the story of our first date:

As typical for him he was running late and I also happened to be running late. You know ladies, how we spend so much time primping and prepping to look perfect. For our first date I spent so much time on my makeup that I was running five minutes late. We had chosen a place called The Charles, a place so swanky that if you missed your reservation by ten minutes they gave your table away. So I was running in my stocking feet from the car to save our reservation. At the table I touched up makeup and waited fifteen minutes for him to show up.

He shows up coved in paint. Blue paint. His hair, his face, his suite coat all covered in paint. After all that primping and prepping he comes in covered in paint. Tears were in my eyes as I burst out laughing.

He started to turn red under all that paint as he explained that coworker’s house was close to the restaurant so he decided to wash up there. Before he left the house he tied his shoe at the exact moment his coworker’s two-year-old decided to give him a hug. The toddler had been playing with finger paint and thought it was funny to cover him in blue paint. His coworker was mortified. But Spencer knew he was running very late so he decided to leave the house looking a like a smurf.

Once I stopped laughing I told him he was excused to wash himself up. I quietly followed him and when he was in a spot with better lighting I called out his name. I took the picture then and there I have kept it on every phone I have owned since then. It always gives me a laugh when I needed it.

I’ll be around to around to share the photo to anyone interested. Have a good evening everyone!”

Miranda looked down and saw that Joe Canfield grinning. He was pleased. She stepped off the stage and he took her arm.

“You are more phenomenal than I have ever given you credit for.”

“Thank you senator.”

…

“You saved the event by describing our first date?” he said.

Reid was up to his elbows in files as he had face-time with his wife. He couldn’t help but smile at her wearing the earing he gave her.

“It was a pretty memorable first date.”

“You also shared that photo of me from all those years ago?”

“I also got many comments on how incredibly cute you looked with longer hair.”

He laughed a little in spite of all the sadness he had surrounded himself with for the last several hours.

“Did you mention the detail of how your lips had blue specs in the end?”

“No!” she said. “That would have been embarrassing!”

They both began to crack up. Reid had had a long day with no end in sight. Seeing Miranda blush just made him laugh and remember everything that was good in the world.

 


	16. Chapter 16

“I don’t know who looks worse, you or I,” Miranda said during their face-time session the day before the New Hampshire primary.

Reid hadn’t shaved in a couple days and there were bags under his eyes. It had been two days and six hours since he started sifting information and only a few theories had surfaced.

“Appearance matters less in my job,” Reid said. “I just wish I had more information, theories, something—“

“Remember you’re not in a vacuum Spencer,” Miranda said. “Look to others for support. I know you can do this.”

“Thanks for the faith, but I’m not sure faith is enough.”

“Just try honey,” Miranda said.

“Good luck on the primary dear,” he said.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Just take care of yourself.”

“And the kids,” Reid said. “The kids.”

“The kids are fine with my parents. They’re joking that who needs PBS or a newspaper when Alex and Rachel are over.”

“I’ll have to make it up to them.”

“We will when we’re in the white house,” Miranda said hopefully.

“Yes we will,” Reid said. The projections of a democrat winning still weren’t good.

…

The break came early in the morning. Reid had poured himself a fourth cup of coffee that night when something hit him. A traffic stop west of Tampa where cocaine was being smuggled in toy dolls. He remembered seeing a similar toy doll found in a backpack left on the spot where ten-year-old Carla Goodwin was abducted. It was for her cousin who lived down street. He researched the history of the doll as a toy and how drug smugglers were using them. Names began to pop out as he continued his research into different smugglers and dealers. Reid kept looking for someone who fit the profile.

Then a pair of names popped up. Calvin and Daria Prince. Daria was a seamstress in a town twenty minutes north of Orlando. Calvin was a semi-truck operator who was suspected but never convicted of drug trafficking two years ago. They posted incendiary comments on social media about the state of today’s youth. A ten-year-old stole his parent’s gun and shot out the Prince’s windows barely missing Daria and killing the pet bird. It wasn’t much but it was more than what he had several hours ago.

He couldn’t sleep as he waited. He played chess. Calvin Prince didn’t own the truck so all the police had to do was ask to company to cooperate in the investigation. For the first time in a long time Reid was desperate for a miracle.

He had finished his fourth game when a call came in.

“Spencer,” Lewis said on the verge of tears. “We caught them. There was blood and bodily fluids in the truck. Calvin tried to run but we caught him. His wife was hiding at her sister’s home. Penn’s team found everything including the orange fabric and the name of their next victim.”

“Who?”

“Thirteen-year-old Linda Clark.”

“Can I call my wife?” he asked. “Just to tell her there is one less child abductor on the streets.”

“We’re going to have a press conference at noon so go ahead. Just tell her to keep the news to herself.”

“I will, thank you Lewis.”

“No thank you Reid, for everything.”

…

“We need to ensure the future of our country is a bright one!” Miranda said to a cheering crowd. “I need your help not just on primary day but on every day after that in order for the future we want is made real!”

Her phone vibrated. It was Reid. It had to be important. He usually had her appearance schedule memorized.

 “I know with your help and your input I can achieve great things for my country. I also know when I need a moment to reflect on what is important. Right now this call from husband is important.”

She stepped off the stage under the glare of her staff. She called him back.

“We found the people responsible,” he said sounding exhausted and excited at the same time.

“That is the best news imaginable,” she said.

“I’ll let you back to your rally.”

“I love you Spencer,” she said.

“I love you Miranda,” he said and hung up.

Miranda jumped on the stage.

“Winning this primary would mean a great deal to me but not the world. What means the world to me is knowing that there are people out there like my husband who want to protect what we hold most dear. It is not just the FBI. It is every form of law enforcement that has sworn to protect this nation and stand up against hatred in the world. I am only a politician trying to make a difference. There are people out there who are making a difference. With your help I want to try to do something that makes a difference in a way that equals what they do. Thank you and God Bless America!”

She shook hands as she left the stage.

Fleming followed her off the stage. “Are you going to tell me what that deviation from the program was about?”

Miranda was grinning from ear to ear.

“I think you’ll find out soon enough.”

…

“So who’s going to tell the congressman he pulled the red file too soon?” Jason said as they sat in a Concord hotel conference room waiting for Roberts to come in.

“Only someone with a death wish,” a junior staffer said. This earned him a few small laughs.

The media specialist was resting her head on her arms on the table. “What are the odds he’s going to make us fight to Nevada?”

“He doesn’t have the money,” his chief of finances said. “We can barely afford this hotel.”

“I thought that was what Best Westerns were for,” Jason said.

“We’d have to take a bus all the way,” he said.

Roberts entered the room and leaned on the table.

“Thank you for your time and support. I’m afraid this is the end of our campaign. We fought hard and we came close to winning a few times. The system you could say was rigged against us from the start. We did our best and we should hold our heads high.

Now for our last challenge we need to break the news to our loyal supporters…”

…

Mike Lang watched Miranda Reid who was positively glowing with energy from her double-digit win in New Hampshire. Lang knew that wasn’t the only reason she was beaming New Hampshire. Her husband didn’t just uncover a child abductor, he found an adult trafficking ring. Calvin Prince had been using his truck to abduct children for torture in his basement and also abducted adults for private bidders. Both he and his wife were facing the death penalty.

There was a knock on his door.

“Enter,” he said.

His chief of staff appeared. “The King of the Hill ordered Roberts to shut down his campaign. Howe will stick around until Nevada to raise awareness for issues relating to state. But for all intents and purposes, Miranda Reid is their nominee.”

Lang turned off the TV. “Good. We start strategizing tomorrow.”

 


	17. Chapter 17

“Hi Diane,” Reid said as he approached his mother in the sanitarium.

“Don’t ‘Diane’ me,” she said. “It’s Mom and always will be Mom,” she said and went over to give Reid a hug.

Miranda approached her. “Hello, Mrs. Reid,” she said.

“Who is this?” Diane asked.

“This is my girlfriend,” Reid stuttered. “You remember Miranda right?”

“Oh the Floridian blonde,” she said. “Sorry I forgot your name.”

“It’s alright,” she said.

“So have you talked my son into moving to the swamp lands yet?” she asked as she sat down.

“He’s still on the fence,” Miranda said.

“Spencer you’re usually more decisive,” she said.

“It’s a big decision Mom,” Reid said sitting down.

“So how are things here?” Miranda asked.

“The same as they’ve always been,” she said waving her hand. “Nice try in getting off topic. You should know by making him move to Florida, you’re separating him from his whole family of friends. Making new relationships is not easy for my boy and you’re asking him give up an entire lifestyle.”

“I think I can handle it,” Reid said.

“What you think and what you do are two different things. If and when you do move down there you may not think of it so highly.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t lose contact with his friends in DC,” Miranda said.

“I love my son’s letters and I know he can’t come to see me all the time. I wouldn’t want him to. His friends however are going to think differently and wonder whether you are worth it,” she said pointing her finger at her.

“Mom!” Reid said. “I love Miranda deeply. I know my team will understand if I choose to go to go Florida with her.”

“If they love a tenth as much as I do they’ll miss you.”

“Honestly, the conversation is making me uncomfortable and I want you to have a good evening with your son. I’ll see you later Spencer.”

“Bye Miranda,” Reid said waving.

“Good-bye Miranda,” Diane said with a touch of menace.

Once Miranda left Reid said: “I know how you feel about her, now I would really like to talk about something else.”

“If you insist then,” Diane said. “I did a new analysis of Chaucer’s poems and found a few themes I had missed…”

…

Reid found Miranda on the bed looking at her tablet.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey,” he said in return.

“Did you have a nice time with your mom?” she asked.

“I did,” he said. “She had been working on a new research paper on Chaucer.”

“That must have been an interesting discussion,” she said.

“It was,” he said but didn’t elaborate.

She got up and rubbed his shoulder. “You got her into a study that preserved her memory of who you were to her. Forgetting me isn’t the end of the world.”

“But our kids,” he said.

“Our kids know that deep down they have another grandmother who loves them.”

Reid turned and hugged her. “I wish after all these years, she knew she had a daughter-in-law who loved her.”

“Me too Spencer,” she said as tears silently fell down her cheeks. “Me too.”

…

Howe was gracious in defeat. Miranda won sixty-seven percent of the vote. He thanked his staff and the voters. He promised to keep fighting for a brighter future for America in his own way and how he wouldn’t let the people down.

“It was a good campaign,” Howe said to Miranda over the phone. “I wish Roberts hadn’t been around to muck up things with accusations and against your husband.”

“Me to governor,” she said.

“So do you have any VP candidates in mind yet?”

Miranda knew what he meant.

“My campaign has a list a mile long but I haven’t had a chance to really look at it.”

“I know, the campaign has been hectic. So take a good look at that list maybe add a few of your own if they aren’t there.”

“I will sir. Have a good night.”

“You too Miranda,” he said and hung up.

Fleming, Reid, and Geena had been listening in.

Fleming rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to be a profiler to know what he was angling for.”

“Howe would make a fine VP candidate,” Miranda said. “But I’m not looking for ‘fine.’ I’m looking for ‘good.’”


	18. Chapter 18

“Eduard Gomez would make a great Vice President,” Alex said as he, Rachel, and Reid ate lasagna. “As the California Attorney General he prosecuted those cut corners on building safety standards and went after corruption in the governor’s office.

“I like Alicia Emeril,” Rachel said. “She fought for equal pay for women in the state of Louisiana.”

“She’s a woman,” Alex said. “Male voters won’t respond to an all-female ticket.”

“But it would be an empowering statement,” Rachel said.

“Statements don’t equal votes,” Alex said.

“Says you,” she said.

“Says statistics from the latest research—“

“Kids, mom hasn’t decided on who her running mate will be yet,” Reid said. “She won’t make a final decision until after Super Tuesday and will announce sometime after that.”

“It’s Gomez,” Alex said.

“Emeril!”

“That is the end of the discussion,” Reid said. “Now Rachel tell us about your trip to the science center…”

…

“I have one more senator and a governor to interview before I make my decision,” Miranda said to Gomez while they sat in her DC office. She was doing some “paper work” while in DC at the exact same time the state attorney general’s conference was being held.

Gomez at forty-six was the father of three girls ranging from eight to seventeen. His wife was a civil rights advocate. There was certain level of humility about him as he grew up on food stamps and helped his father raise three younger siblings when their mother died suddenly when he was ten. He wrote a book about his life and it made it to eighth on the best seller list.

“So,” he said pleasantly. “Do you mind if I ask where I rank?”

“Number one,” she said casually. “I’ll be honest you were in my top twenty when I announced but went to five when you after took down a large network of online hate groups that had been active since two thousand ten.”

“So how did I make it to number one?”

“I consulted my campaign team. Look we both know how this works. You have all the qualities I’m looking for to balance the ticket. You have access to minority groups that I don’t. You also can’t deny your wife also has an incredible list of credentials.”

“So you think she’ll outshine me?” he said with a smile.

“If it weren’t for the establishment intent on having someone from an elected office she’d be my second choice.”

Gomez sat back. “People have always said you were honest and liked to cut to the point.”

“The honesty part might be a little exaggerated.”

“So where is this chess set people say you keep by your side at all time?”

“In my top left drawer,” she said. “I don’t keep it out all of the time. The point of playing chess by yourself is to refocus your mind to develop new thought patterns.”

“It sounds like what my wife does at yoga,” Gomez said.

“You’re first person who sees it as a level of meditation then,” she said. “So are you interested in the job?”

“I’ll have to talk it over with my wife,” he said.

“Of course,” she said. “I’ll need an answer in three days. Or after the ball the AG is hosting tonight.”

He smiled as he stood up. “They say you’re the smartest person in Capital Hill.”

“Have a good evening Counselor,” she said standing up.

“You too Congresswoman,” he said.

…

“So she literally said you were her number one choice?” Calista Gomez said as she stepped out of her shoes in their hotel room.

“She didn’t mince words,” he said undoing his tie. “She said you’d be her second choice if you’d been elected anywhere.”

“Clever woman, complimenting me to get you on board.”

“What do you think Ava will say?”

“Being driven everywhere. Having a mall evacuated so she can go shopping with her friends, I think she’d love it.”

“She’ll have to make new friends first,” Calista said.

“I think the perks of being in DC’s inner circle will outweigh everything,” Gomez said.

“She isn’t always as shallow as you think Eduard.”

“I never said that.”

“But you think it sometimes.”

“Well Isabel and Teresa will be fine with the decision I think,” Gomez said.

“You really want this don’t you?” Calista said. “It didn’t even occur to you until that list leaked three days ago.”

Gomez rubbed his wife’s back. “Miranda is much more charming than some people give her credit for. There is a good chance we’ll lose but we will while trying to make a difference and that means a lot to me.”

“You sound a little naïve,” she said.

“I know.”

“But that is what I love about you,” she said as she turned around to kiss him.


	19. Chapter 19

Miranda was looking at speech notes while on the campaign bus to Cleveland when Fleming approached her.

“Congratulations,” she said. “You got your first A-list celebrity endorsement.”

“What am I sports figure or a brand of soda?”

“Both,” she said. “Lila Archer wants to host a donor’s event for you the next time you’re in California.”

“Oh, she’s an old flame of Spencer’s,” she said casually.

A few heads turned. Fleming stared at her.

“Two-time Oscar winner Lila Archer-Reevis dated Spencer?”

“Well he saved her life some twenty-odd years ago and they kept in touch. He even went down to see her for a proper date. In the end they both agreed they were better off remaining friends. They stayed friends for a couple years until the letters dried up and it just stopped naturally.”

“Has he made contact with her recently?”

“No, he told me six months into our relationship and I confessed to briefly dating a Dolphins back-up quarterback.”

“Which quarterback?”

“Don Warick, he’s in the Canadian League with a wife and twins. I haven’t seen him in years either.”

“Any other relationships I should be aware of?”

“Nope,” Miranda said.

“Well, we’re visiting her in June. Tell your husband to make a call if there is any awkwardness that needs to be taken care of. I don’t want the press to get wind of this.”

“Understood,” she said.

…

Reid took a deep breath to steady himself. Then he fired. Two shots to the head. Two shots to the chest. He repeated the rhythm for five minutes. When he took his headphones off, he looked to the left and saw Penn watching him.

“You know your firearms qualification hasn’t expired. What brings you down here?” Penn said as Reid walked over to him.

“I felt I needed the practice,” Reid said with a shrug.

“Reid we’ve known each other a long time,” Penn said. “I can guess when you’re lying.”

“I don’t generally like guns but I see them as a necessary tool. I won’t carry a gun when I’m out with Miranda but I want to feel like I can protect her if necessary. Why are you down here?”

“I came looking for you. You’ve become quite popular since you broke that child abduction case. A woman washed ashore in Tampa with no memory of how she ended up here. He finger prints have been surgically altered and her teeth have been realigned to make dental ID impossible. She speaks a rare form of Slavic Russian. The interpreter is having a hard time understanding her. We thought maybe you could try.”

“I’ll try Penn,” he said.

“Hey Reid,” he said cutting in front of him briefly as they walked down the hall. “I know you’re afraid. Your life is about to be put under a microscope. If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you. I know I’m not the BAU but you can trust me.”

“Thanks, Penn,” Reid said. “You’ve been a great friend.”

“It goes both ways my friend,” he said. “Both ways.”

…

“Tell me Spencer when did the word campaign take on a political meaning?” Miranda said with a sigh while via face-time.

“The earliest references to it as a political term come from the British in seventeen thirty-nine. The term campaign trail comes the eighteen eighties. Why?”

“Just hearing you be smart relaxes me some times. I can always count on you to have all the answers.”

He thought about the Slavic woman. After four hours of speaking with her he managed to discover her name was Bogdona. She had no other name.

“Not all the time,” he said.

“Rough case?” she asked picking up on the frustration.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” he said.

“I’m here for you if you need me,” Miranda said. “You know that right?”

“I do,” he said assuredly. “It will be alright. Goodnight Miranda.”

“Good night Spencer.”

Reid turned off the monitor and fell back into his chair. So many people were offering their support yet he never felt so alone. He shook his head. It was late April. He needed to relax and find peace if he wanted to stay strong for the rest of the campaign.


	20. Chapter 20

On May second they assembled in the Roosevelt room prepared to work. It was the first official campaign strategy session for Mike Lang’s team. His campaign manager Patricia pulled out the portable projection screen.

A picture of Miranda appeared.

“So Miranda Reid, the presumptive democratic nominee for president of the United States. What do you think of her?”

The staff turned to Lang. “She seemed nice from my recollections of meeting her,” he said. “Nothing exactly stood out about her. I have heard her name a few times when it came to passing legislation, but again nothing noteworthy.”

Patricia nodded. “The old saying ‘it’s always the quiet ones,’ applies here. She is not the loudest voice in congress, but she more than makes up with it in political savvy.”

His chief political strategist Connor was reading through his notes. “Sir, I’ve noticed something about her style. Her speeches, her campaign promises, everything is positive.”

“She’s afraid to attack you sir,” Patricia said.

“How could you say she is afraid to attack me?” Lang said. “I am her opponent. I expect attacks.”

“Never forget she is typically considered the smartest person in any room,” his chief of staff Roderick said. “She knows she can’t beat you sir with your current poll numbers.”

“What does that have to do with not attacking me?”

“The first time she goes after you directly in a speech, every media outlet is going to point out flaws in her logic,” Patricia said.

“So we need to get her on the offensive,” Lang said. “By attacking her first. How?”

Patricia clicked on her remote and a series of bullet points appeared.

“None of this is particularly damaging,” Lang said. “She voted like a democrat. Her issues relate to her district. She is as hard to attack as I am.”

“A pair of squeaky clean candidates,” Connor said mildly. “I thought those days were behind us.”

“There is dirt on everyone,” Patricia said. “Reid doesn’t play well with energy lobbyists. Her big platform is the environment and that has gotten her in trouble and cost her some votes. Not everyone is a tree-hugger.”

“She is uncooperative,” Lang said. “Anything else?”

“The ice has melted slightly around her persona,” her communications director April said. “But she can’t be ‘America’s Mom’ and ‘the master,’ at the same time.”

“Which brings her personal life public,” Patricia said. “She is a motherly figure but she can’t relate to her kids that well.”

“I thought we agreed on no personal attacks?” Lang said.

“So we’re profiling, not attacking her. She has probably done the same to you. Or her husband has. Reid is exceptionally bright but she is no genius like her two children and husband. Spencer Reid did a remarkable a job at that interview but she is going to need to keep re-enforcing that perception of how intelligence doesn’t matter in her house.”

“Her kids are already smart enough to hold cabinet positions from what I’ve heard,” Roderick said.

“Her husband is too smart to be president,” another voice said.

All eyes turned to Paige, the press secretary.

“If you want to affect change, this is not the best job,” she said. “It takes a lot of political maneuvering and compromising of values to get things done. Spencer can see the world as a chess board the way Miranda does but he chooses not to. He focuses his attention on one person or situation he can help at a time.”

“Very perceptive Paige, thank you,” Lang said.

“Sir we don’t have to be the ones to leak attack ads on her family values,” Patricia said. “I know of groups already planning to do so on your behalf.”

“And if tell them not to?” Lang said.

“They may not listen,” Patricia said.

“How about turning this into chess game now,” Connor said suddenly. “You both run respectable campaigns. You attack her minor flaws and she attacks your record because that is what you do to an incumbent. Then it comes down to the debates. She makes an impressive showing because she will be coached extremely well. But it won’t be enough and she loses by a respectable number of votes. We’ll learn from our mistakes and you get to prep your republican successor.”

“Is that what the King of the Hill really wanted?” Lang said. “For Reid to lose?”

“We building a list of people we think he wants to run next cycle. Unless Miranda does something astonishing you will win Sir.”

“But that is no reason to rest laurels,” Patricia said. “This still needs to be a serious campaign. Any sign of smugness will hurt you because Reid’s best strategy is to consider herself an underdog against you. Connor’s, right there is no easy road to victory but that does not mean Reid isn’t going to try and relatively recent history has shown us that anything is possible.”

“Everyone one here has a valid point,” Lang said. “I think if we keep a clean campaign we should be fine then.”

Paige began to tune everyone out as they started getting into the details of Reid’s voting record. A reporter kept asking what the administration knew about a Russian woman who washed up alive in Florida with amnesia. For some reason it was bugging her and she couldn’t figure out why.


	21. Chapter 21

“Dad’s murmuring in Russian in his sleep,” Alex said to Miranda via face-time.

“It must be a rough case then,” she said. “Don’t ask him too many questions about it.”

“I know _mom_ ,” he said. “I wish they taught Russian instead of Mandarin.”

“I would have preferred Spanish but would have settled for German,” Miranda said. “You’re homework looks like Greek to me but anyway, are you working well with your partner for the last assignment?”

“He wanted to take charge but I think we’re starting to get along better…”

…

Reid walked into his office where he kept his research on Bogdona. It had been seven days since she washed ashore and six since he started interviewing her. It was still very hard get through to her as he only knew every fourth word she was saying which was an improvement compared to only every sixth word a couple days ago.

He wanted off the assignment. Bogdona’s life was a series of nightmares that began to sink into his own. He thought a forensic psychologist would do better but when one came Bogdona would not respond to her and the language barrier was too deep. Bogdona had grown attached to him and wanted to find out who did this to her with _his_ help. Reid hoped he could find the answers soon.

In his office was a map of ocean and costal tide patterns to explain how she ended up there. There were also formulas for untraceable drug compounds that would wipe her memory. To an outsider it looked like a mess, but to him it made perfect sense.

Today he focused on how a certain fact that wasn’t clicking. She said remembered living in a place full of “golden trees.” He presented her pictures but none matched what she was describing.

There was a knock on his door. His new supervisor in Orlando, Liam Hedge appeared.

“Reid I’d like you to meet someone,” he said.

“Sir, can it wait?” he said politely. “I think I’m onto something.”

“Normally I’d agree but it is the lieutenant governor’s daughter. She is our newest intern,” he said.

Hedge was more politically-minded than Penn. Something he needed to get used to.

He stepped out of his office to see a young women with red hair in a neat red bun wearing stylish dress.

“Hello, Miss. Farmer,” he said kindly.

“Please it’s Carly. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I think your work is amazing and I am a huge fan of your wife! I want her to be president!”

Reid stifled a sigh and glanced at Hedge. He was pulled out of working on something important to meet with a star-struck fan of his wife. Hedge briefly shrugged his shoulders as an attempt at an apology.

“I love all the work she had done advocating for the environment,” she gushed. “Maybe we’ll finally stand a chance at saving the planet with her help.”

A fresh thought occurred to him. All sorts of things had been affected by climate change, including plant life. He had been looking at it wrong.

“Excuse me Carly but I have some important work to do,” he said.

“Of course Mr. Reid go ahead,” she said.

He fought the urge to correct her and simply walked away as briskly as he dared. He went into his office and ran some advance searches on plant life in Russia. Reid then made the call.

“I need to speak with Bogdona,” he said looking at picture of a young family from over twenty years ago.

…

Bogdona burst into tears. She nodded. She frantically pointed at the pictures of her older brother and younger sister.

Bogdona was Bogdona Borichevsky. She was the daughter of a wealthy family in a remote part of Russia. She had been abducted at the age of sixteen while exploring the local village. A ransom demand had been sent. The father fulfilled the demand without the involvement of the local authorities as requested but they did not return her. The father became a prominent politician in recent times, but is said to have never given up on his search for his beloved older daughter.

As Bogdona cried over the pictures Reid left the observation room and found Penn and Hedge staring with concern. Hedge spoke first.

“How does the long-lost daughter of a prominent Russian politician end up in Florida while your wife is running for the Oval office?”

“Someone is trying to send a powerful message,” Reid said. “An outside force trying change the course of the election.”

“This wouldn’t be the first time it’s been done,” Penn said. “The director needs to hear this first. Then the president. Other than them, no one needs to know about this including spouses, understood?”

Hedge and Reid nodded. Reid knew it was mainly intended for him and understood the ramifications of telling Miranda at this time.

…

Miranda was on a plane to Huntington, West Virginia when she spoke with Reid next.

“I heard you were murmuring in Russian in your sleep earlier, why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“It wasn’t important,” he said.

“Spencer, I can tell when you’re being slightly evasive with me. Why were you speaking in Russian in your sleep?”

“It was related to an old case,” he said. “About Russian mail-order brides. Nothing for you to worry about.”

“But I still do,”

“I know but I wish you wouldn’t. I need to go. I love you Miranda.”

“I love you too Spencer,” Miranda said and the conversation ended.

Miranda sighed as Geena joined her with a glass of wine.

“I think we travel too much Geena,” she said.

“You’re observing this now?” she said. “We still have five months ahead of us.”

Miranda pulled up her blanket. “Why am I doing this again?”

“Which answer would you like to hear?”

“My husband,” she said.

“Your husband it is,” Geena said. “You want him to be closer to the BAU family he left behind for you.”

“Yes,” she said and tried to make herself comfortable in her chair. “For Spencer.”


	22. Chapter 22

“Borichevsky is among the Prime Minister’s closest friends and confidantes,” Secretary of State Drew Shepard said while he, Lang and Hotch sat in the oval office. “This is a very delicate situation Mr. President.”

“I know,” Lang said. “Is Borichevsky going to want to hold a parade for the return of his daughter?”

“And the Prime Minister will have a special medal made,” he said. “If this were any other agent who discovered Bogdona I’d say this was a chance to improve our relationship. Is there any way to conceal the identity of the agent?”

Hotch spoke up for the first time.

“It would be difficult sir. Bogdona has grown exceptionally fond of Agent Reid. We are not sure she will keep his identity a secret.”

“What has Agent Reid disclosed about himself? Like whether he has a wife?”

“I believe he has to get her to open up to her. He did nothing against protocol.”

“I see,” Shepard said.

Hotch turned to Lang. “Mr. President it has been twelve hours since Bogdona rediscovered her identity. We can only keep this information to ourselves for much longer for a variety of reasons.”

Lang turned to Shepard. “Inform the Prime Minister that Bogdona is part of an ongoing investigation. We still don’t know how she was abducted and by who. We need to keep information about her survival private until we can gather further information. She is welcome to go home but it must not be revealed publicly. Any questions?”

Shepard and Hotch shook their heads.

“That will be all then.”

…

Hotch read through the transcript and then watched the video sent to him five hours later that day.

“Bogdona,” Reid said pleaded. “You cannot mention my name.”

“Why not?” she shouted. “You helped me find my identity. I am being reunited with my family. You’re my hero Spencer!”

“I am no hero,” he said firmly. “I will not meet your family. All I did was my job.”

“You did your job well,” she said. “My father believes in rewarding people who do quality work.”

“Bogdona your recognition is all I need,” he said. “Please this is important to me.”

“Why?” she said angrily. “Why will you not accept to recognition that is deserved?”

“Because there are forces greater than us at work. You publicly recognizing me would lead to a lot of consequence that would not be pleasant for me,” he said.

“Such as?”

“Additional scrutiny. I like my life as private as possible. There is also the chance that the people who targeted you are going to go after me for helping you find your identity.”

“Is that all?” she said accusingly.

“No,” Reid said. “But that is all I can tell you. Please Bogdona if you value me in any way, please leave my name out of this.”

She looked into his eyes and watched him closely.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Only because you helped me find my identity again. I do not agree with what you want but I will go along with it. Thank you Special Agent Spencer Reid.

“Thank you Bogdona Borichevsky,” he said softly.

Bogdona pulled him into a hug and Hotch closed his computer.

“Thank you Reid,” he said. “The world owes you too much already.”

…

After completing some additional paper work, Reid arrived home late to the scent of garlic chicken. He looked around and saw tea candles lit throughout the room. He looked down and saw rose petals spread around the floor. All he could think of was how big a pain it was going to be to clean up.

Then Miranda appeared. She was wearing a slinky silk red dress that he usually loved to see her in when the mood was right. Without saying a word she pulled off his messenger bag and wrapped his arms around him. She then kissed him deeply.

“It has been while since we’ve done this don’t you think?” she whispered into his ear.

“I’m sorry,” he said pulling her back. “I’m just not in the mood.”

“Maybe I can change your mind,” she whispered playfully.

“Miranda, I’m sorry you went through all this but I am just not up for it.”

“Is it the Russian case?” she said in a normal voice.

“Yes, it does,” he said. “I am really very tired.”

“Spencer you know I don’t like secrets between us,” she said.

“But that is part of the job sometimes,” Reid said angrily. “You’ve known that since the beginning.”

“Spencer what is going on?” she asked.

“I really can’t tell you Miranda,” he said jerkily. “I’m going to take a shower and please don’t follow me in.”

“And ruin this dress?” she said defensively. “No way.”

He began to walk upstairs and then turned to see Miranda beginning to pick up the rose petals.

“Miranda?” he said cautiously.

She looked up. There were tears in her eyes. Reid thought of Bogdona and all the suffering she went through. Too much suffering. He walked back down stairs.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“It’s okay Spencer,” she said. “I know you have your secrets, I just hate them sometimes.”

He helped her pick up the rose petals. “Me too,” he said tearing up. “Me too.”


	23. Chapter 23

Lang was hosting a relatively casual press conference during the first week of June. He announced his intent to continue to expand tax cuts for the middle-class while and giving tax credits to growing businesses. It was nothing exactly news-worthy so he knew the reporters would seize the opportunity to ask the questions he wanted to hear.

“Do you think Congresswoman Reid has a chance at beating you in the election?”

“I think the congresswoman is an excellent candidate for president,” he said. “She has all the right credentials. However being a candidate and being president are two different things. I wish her the best of luck and let’s let the people decide.”

“What do you think of her positions on reducing tax credits for businesses who invest in energy resources that harm the environment?”

“I think Reid needs to see the bigger picture. The environment is an important issue but it can’t be the only issue. Businesses depend on these natural resources and sometimes there are no other alternatives.”

“Would you say you share common ground in wanting to reform the tax code?”

“The way she wants to reform it would only complicate things for the average American. My plan will simplify for both businesses and the average American.”

“She wants to invest more money in education, what are your thoughts?”

“I think we are only just seeing the results of my education initiatives I set up during my first one hundred days. What Reid has yet to understand is that you can’t throw money at an issue in order to try to fix it. You need analyze it first and then carefully apply resources where necessary.”

“She has also tried three times to push for additional spending for the VA. Why don’t you think she has been successful in getting any new funding?”

“Reid is a very intelligent woman but sometimes I don’t think she knows how to work with the other side of aisle. She gets too fixated on certain issues such as environmental reform that she can’t get other legislation to pass.”

“What are your thoughts on her being called ‘the master’ on Capitol Hill?”

“I think names like that should be left inside the doors of the Capitol. I don’t know what they call me in there behind my back.”

There was some light laughter.

The press secretary stepped forward. “This concludes our press conference. Have a good day.”

“And God speed,” Lang added with his brightest smile.

…

Miranda and Fleming finished watching the press conference in silence.

Miranda sighed. “You know I deeply respect the president and consider him a worthy opponent but some days I just want to smack at that cheesy grin off his face.”

 “But it is his signature smile,” Fleming said sarcastically.

“Only _he_ thinks it is charming. And Lang is right. He doesn’t want to know what we on Capitol Hill call him.”

“Now I’m intrigued.”

“The Powers That Be will find a way to kick me out of congress if I reveal their secrets.”

“Back on topic: This is the closest the president has come to going on the offence.”

“So he knows I’m afraid to attack him. It took him long enough to do something about it.”

“Which means we’re going to need to start going negative also. Are you ready for that next step?”

Miranda took some notes. “I knew there would be a time and a place for it. Let’s get some writers and draft some new rhetoric.”

“You sound very calm despite having to go into uncharted waters with regards to campaign tactics.”

Miranda looked out the window of her Florida district office. “I’m home. I get to see my kids and husband every day for a few days. I can’t complain too much.”

“Just don’t get used to it. We also need to plan some campaign stops for you to do with your husband and we have the Archer event.”

“He has no problem with the Archer event. Every other campaign stop, he is just going to do because he loves me and I love him more for it.”

“There are few men in this world like your husband you know that?”

“There none like my husband and I know it and I consider myself extremely lucky.”

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

_They were swimming in the water off the coast of Marseille when Reid grabbed Miranda and kissed her. She kissed him deeply in return. Their bodies were intertwined in the water. Reid preferred visiting the museums but at that moment everything felt perfect._

_Reid pulled back briefly and saw that Miranda had turned into Lila Archer. She pulled him closer and kissed him._

_“Stop,” he tried to say but she kept kissing him. He found himself kissing her back._

_They were back in her pool. She would not stop kissing him as he grew even more uncomfortable._

_“Lila please,” he said as he pulled away. “I’m a married man!”_

_But that didn’t stop her and he couldn’t stop kissing her._

Reid woke up gasping for air.

“Dreaming about Lila Archer-Reevis were you?” Miranda said.

They were in a hotel just outside Los Angeles. They were going the event Lila was hosting, today Reid saw looking at clock. It was six a.m.

“Yes,” he said sheepishly.

“Were you dreaming about kissing her in the pool?”

“She started it and was I that loud?”

“I’m sleeping less than two inches from you dear,” she said. “I liked the part where you shouted you were a married man.”

“So you’re not mad?”

“More amused than anything,” she said sitting up. “Look you admitted she was your first intense kiss. I can’t blame you for still dreaming about her especially since we’re seeing her soon.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “I love you so much,” he said.

“I love you too Spencer. I’m glad I’m a sound sleeper. You don’t want to know what I would shout out about my exes in my dreams.”

He laughed in spite of himself. He tried to kiss her again but she stood up.

“Another time dear. I have a strategy session at eight-thirty followed by a meeting with the local politicians. And you have to study up on your celebrities.”

“Yes ma’am,” he said with a sigh.

“You can sleep in if you like,” she said. “Just try not to have any more sexy dreams of Lila Archer-Reevis.”

“You’re not going to let me live this down are you?”

“As long as you keep blushing like that, no” she said with a smile.

…

“So your dipped five points in the polls after your first speeches attacking the president in Indiana and Missouri,” their pollster said. “Nothing to worry about too much at this point in the campaign.”

“Not too much?” Miranda said. “A few speeches shouldn’t ruin my campaign.”

“What the polling shows us is that we need to be more strategic about how we attack the president. He is well-liked and that can’t be emphasized enough.”

“So let’s draft some more speeches with a more positive angle,” Miranda said. “Describe the common ground we share and how my vision for America can be better than his.”

The pollster smiled. “That is exactly what you need to do.”

“Thank you Danielle,” she said. “We’ll start the process tomorrow while in New Mexico.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all said and got up to leave.

Geena stayed behind.

“You seemed slightly distracted during this session,” she said.

Miranda knew better than to lie to her chief of staff.

“We’re visiting my husband’s sort-of-ex who happens to be a Hollywood movie star. I didn’t think it’d get to me but it does.”

“Are you jealous? Worried old feelings might erupt?”

“Not really. Just, I don’t know, tired. Lila Archer-Reevis should be the last thing on my mind when I have so much to do.”

“It is just one party,” Geena said calmly. “Just work the crowd and try to enjoy yourself.”

“I will and I am so glad you and Fleming are coming as my wing women.”

“It should be fun,” Geena said. “I’ve always wanted to meet James Torrin.”

“I’m glad you’ll have fun.”

“You never know, you might too.”

…

Miranda was wearing a green and yellow dress with a halter top. Reid thought she looked stunning but could tell she was exhausted under all the makeup.

“I never should have stacked my schedule the way I did,” she said applying some last-minute makeup under her eyes.

“You still look beautiful and think of all the sleepless nights that you had with the kids and managed to work efficiently the next day.”

“I was younger then,” she said. “Right now all I want is a nap.”

Reid rubbed her shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

“You always know what to say,” she said.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“We’re here,” the driver announced.

Lila’s current home was even larger than he imagined. He’d seen the photos but they didn’t do it justice. The driver dropped them off at the front of the house where a butler was waiting.

He opened the door. “Welcome the Reevis residence. The Reevis family will be meeting you in the ballroom. Allow me to show you the way.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said.

They were guided through a hall covered in artwork that Reid estimated were worth a total of a million dollars. In the ballroom there were at least fifty guests waiting. They parted and then Reid could see her clearly.

She was wearing simple V-neck pale blue dress that sparkled slightly. Her hair was cut so that it was just off her shoulders. Next to her was Benjamin Reevis with sandy-brown hair and on his other side was sixteen-year-old Elaine Reevis in a purple dress.

Hand in hand Miranda and Reid walked together. Miranda smiled and waved slightly to other people and Reid tried to do the same.

“I feel like a queen,” Miranda muttered in his ear.

“You look like one,” he said.

This made her smile.

They finally approached Lila and her family.

“Congresswoman Reid,” she said formally. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Miranda said. “Thank Mrs. Archer-Reevis for inviting us to this stunning party.”

“Please, its Lila,” she said turned to her family. “This is Ben and Elaine. This is Elaine’s first big party. She was desperate to meet you.”

“I think you’re amazing Congresswoman,” Elaine said. “You’re so poised and all you’ve done in Congress is incredible.”

“Thank you,” Miranda said blushing slightly and turned to Reid. “Lila I believe you’ve met Spencer.”

Lila let out a laugh. “Met him, he saved my life! It is good to see you again Spencer.”

Ben extended a hand. “Thank you for saving my wife all those years ago,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” he said awkwardly.

“I think I’ve take up enough of your time,” Lila said. “Let the party begin!”

She clapped her hands and people began to gather around Miranda and Reid.

Miranda shook hands and made small talk while many asked Reid how he saved Lila’s life. He kept the story simple and said a stalker who knew Lila was on the verge of stabbing her when he managed to talk her out of doing so. Many were impressed by his bravery but he claimed only to be doing his job. Elaine called him a hero which made him only blush more.

The part continued and dinner was served. Miranda and Reid were separated at that point. Reid was seated with an actor who was going to star in a movie about FBI agents and wanted to pick his brain about the details of his work. He gladly obliged while Miranda appeared to be sitting with a couple who worked as fashion designers who were offering their services to her. She was smiling but he could tell she wasn’t enjoying herself.

Later on in the party Lila and Reid found themselves alone in a small nook in her home.

“Well,” she said with a smile. “Look at us! I think we both did pretty well in the relationship department.”

“I do too,” he said. “Elaine is a lovely young woman.”

“Thank you. I hear your kids take after you.”

“Both of us,” he said. “It may not make the headlines but they take after both of us.”

“I believe you.”

“It never would have worked out between us,” he said suddenly. “We’re just too different.”

“I know,” she said. “But we tried and it was worth a try.”

“I agree.”

“Good luck Spencer, on everything.”

“You too, Lila.”

He then walked away with the satisfaction of getting the closure he’d wanted years ago.

 

 

 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

They were in a hotel in Colorado. Fleming was looking for Miranda and ran into Geena.

“We have a rally in to go to in twenty minutes. What is she doing?”

“Throwing a fit,” Geena said simply. “The Powers That Be tabled her environmental legislation bill until January.”

“What is she, five?” Fleming barked. “We need to get going!”

“Don’t you get it Whitney? This bill was important to her platform. It is a signal that the Powers That Be don’t think she can win and are now actively sabotaging her.”

“We still need to campaign,” Fleming said. “I’m going to her hotel room.”

“Or you could give her another ten minutes to cool down.”

“Geena, I know you’ve been closer to Miranda than I have over the past decade but I still know what’s best for her.”

“Do what you want Whitney,” she said icily. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Geena walked away without saying another word. Fleming marched down to Miranda’s hotel room. She knocked impatiently.

While Miranda appeared dressed for the rally, her hair was a disheveled and her cheeks were flushed.

“Didn’t Geena warn you not to bother me?” she said angrily.

“I came anyway,” she said and looked around.

The room was a mess. Pillows were strewn everywhere and the bedspread was balled up. Notes were scattered all over the place and her purse was in the middle of the bed.

“Wow, you really know how to throw a tantrum,” Fleming said.

“I was promised that legislation in exchange for running in this election,” she said threw gritted teeth. “My husband and I have fought more frequently in the past year than we ever have. I’m growing even more distant from my children and I haven’t slept well since this circus started!”

“What about getting Spencer back in DC?”

“If the odds weren’t stacked against me before, they are now even more. Spencer can do math and plays chess. We can’t win Whitney!”

“So are you just going to quit fighting?” she asked with anger. “Tell Gomez not to bother joining the ticket? You can’t drop out.”

“I KNOW WHITNEY!” she said in burst of fresh rage. “I need to see this through. Now leave me ALONE! I need to calm down alone. You’re not helping things. Please go before I yell some more and attract attention from other guests.”

“Okay,” Fleming said quietly. “I’ll see you in ten minutes,” she said and walked out the door.

Fleming walked in to the small sitting area in the lobby where Geena was with a tablet sipping a cup of coffee. She sat down next to her.

“You know I hate to say it when I’m wrong but I will on occasion admit it. You were right Geena, she does need her space.”

“Thank you,” Geena said.

“I knew her as a young congresswoman who was only driven by her job. I forget sometimes that she has a family to consider and campaigning can be draining.”

“I know, which is why we need to work as a team as much as possible,” Geena said. “No more fighting?”

“I’ll try,” Fleming said.

…

“If Reid can’t get the legislation she values the most on the schedule, what hope does she have in getting things done in the White House?” Lang said to a cheering crowd in Cleveland. “She may be an excellent strategist, but she needs the help of others to get things done!”

“I have proven that I can work with Congress. I can appeal to both sides of the aisle. I consider myself something of a strategist too and I think my record shows it better than hers. I will continue to make inroads with the Democrats and show that I am the president of the entire country red state or blue.”

The crowd cheered some more and he basked in it. He let it continue before saying farewell.

“Thank you and God Bless America!”

He shook hands and stepped off the stage and continued to shake hands as he walked to the bullet-proof motorcade waiting for him. Lang took a seat and breathed a sigh of relief.

“That went well,” he said. “I forgot how exhausting this stuff can get.”

“It is only the beginning sir,” his chief of staff said.

“The Powers That Be gave us a great gift,” Lang said. “Remind me to return the favor to the King of the Hill after the election.”

“I thought you didn’t like using their Capitol Hill names,” his campaign manager said.

“Inside this the Beast, yes. Outside absolutely not. But when the name fits it fits.”

His press secretary was also in the main car but she didn’t contribute anything. A reporter had asked her about the rumor of a Nigerian crime lord being found dead in Key West, Florida. There was a pattern emerging and she didn’t know what to do about it.

 


	26. Chapter 26

Reid was examining pictures of the tattoos found on the body of the Nigerian crime lord the next day. They were intricately designed all across his body. There were written in the three most common languages in Nigeria: English, Hausa, and Igbo. The tattoos appeared to have been applied after he died of single gunshot wound to the head.

Hedge appeared in his office. “What do you think of the latest mystery designed so that only you can solve it?”

“Horizontally, message list all his crimes in chronological order. Vertically the words appear to form a cryptogram.”

“Have you uncovered any of the meanings yet?” he asked.

“One is: ‘Seek and you will find more answers to the powers that control the earth.’”

“Well that sound ominous and enticing at the same time.”

Reid suddenly checked his watch. It was five-thirty. The Gomez family was due at the Franklin Hotel for dinner at six.

Hedge read the expression on his face. “Go. Messages on a dead crime lord can wait.”

“Thanks Hedge,” he said and quickly prepared to leave.

…

“So is it true your neighbor is Christopher Wells, the famous geophysicist?” Alex asked Isabel Gomez over dinner.

“Is he guy with all those weird instruments all over his yard?” Ava asked.

“They’re for measuring electromagnetic energy,” he said impatiently. “Just because you don’t know what it is doesn’t mean you should just label it ‘weird.’”

“Excuse me for not being a genius for not knowing such stuff,” Ava retorted.

“Kids,” Miranda and Gomez said at the same time.

Alex turned to Miranda. “Christopher Well is an incredible scientist! He was named one of the top scientists of the year by Time magazine.”

“Alex, Ava wasn’t insulting Wells’ work. She was just trying answer your question,” Miranda said. “Now let’s change the subject. Calista tell us about new children’s education initiative you’re working on to help them understand what is going on in the world right now?”

“Sure,” she said with a smile. “It is all about raising awareness through cultural understand…”

Reid wasn’t paying attention to the conversation. He was going over the tattoos in his photographic memory. There was another message on the war lord’s right arm that puzzled him. It had to do with the upcoming Portuguese election.

“Spencer?” Miranda said.

He looked up and realized Calista was staring at him. “I understand you know a variety of languages and cultures. Cultural awareness would be an interesting platform for both of us to campaign on together.”

The word “awareness” struck a nerve. It appeared in all three languages. There was something to it.

“Yes that sounds like a great platform to campaign from,” he said distractedly.

“I’ll set up some dates and you two can work together, at some point,” Miranda said.

“That sounds like fun,” Calista said.

“Together” was another fascinating word. It was broken up into three words on the arm into the three languages. Then suddenly it all clicked like a puzzle.

Reid got up so quickly he knocked over his chair.

“I need to go,” he said urgently. “I’m sorry. It was great meeting all of you. I’m sure we will make a great team to get to the White House.” It was a line he had memorized from Miranda’s talking points and hoped it worked.

“Go do your official FBI business,” Gomez said. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other soon enough.”

“Thank you,” he said and dashed off.

He ran to his car and called Hedge. “Hedge call the Secretary of State. A polling place for the Portuguese election is going to be bombed twelve hours from now.”

 

 

 

 


	27. Chapter 27

“They found the bomb in the janitor’s closet in the basement,” Shepard reported to Lang, Hotch, and Marcus Beretta, the Director of the CIA. “It was timed to go off during the peak hour of voting.”

“Is the President asking for the name of the agent responsible for the discovery?” Lang asked.

“No,” he said. “He does want to know the source of the information and he wants his government to have access to it.”

Beretta spoke up. “I suggest we work through my agency then. I have a team of codebreakers who can help while working with the Portuguese government.”

“I have no objections to that strategy,” Lang said and turned to Shepard. “Do you?”

“No Sir. The President seems agreeable to cooperation so long as they have equal access to the information.”

Lang turned to Hotch. “Do you have any concerns?”

“I do Sir,” he said. “Cutting Spencer Reid out might be a mistake especially since he has all the messages memorized.”

“But he doesn’t have them fully decoded,” Beretta said. “I am sure my team can have them all decoded in three hours.”

“Then tell him when you have. He has shown he can keep international secrets.”

“He does not need to know such information,” Beretta argued.

Hotch looked to Lang. “I know how Spencer Reid’s mind works better than most people. He won’t stop mentally solving this cypher until he has all the answers.”

“Then order him not to,” Lang said firmly. “This matter is officially out of the hands of the FBI.”

Hotch’s eyes briefly flashed with anger. “Yes Sir,” he said.

“Thank you everyone,” Lang said. “Have a good day and keep up the good work.”

Hotch was the first to leave. He could barely contain his anger. He quickly brushed past the press secretary without saying a word.

Paige watched as the Director of the CIA and Secretary of State also walked past her. Only Shepard acknowledged her with a smile. Part of her job involved not asking questions but she couldn’t help but wonder what that was all about.

…

The annual BAU picnic was different this year. For one thing, security had been set up to the point where the Secret Service had a perimeter around the park. Another thing was with the team’s blessing, the Gomez family had been invited to join in. It had been three days since Miranda had announced that Gomez was her running mate and her polling was up by six points. There were also camera crews surrounding the perimeter so everyone was escorted into the park in black vans.

“I’m lucky they didn’t want to check all the food for poison,” J.J. joked as she set up dinner.

“Then we’re in big trouble if you messed up my mother’s pasta recipe,” Calista said to Gomez.

“That was ten years ago!” Gomez said.

“At the family reunion!” Calista said. “He was nearly kicked out for ruining mom’s famous recipe.”

The team laughed. It was nice to have some fresh faces at the picnic. No one knew if they’d be staying for next year but the team chose to remain hopeful.

Hotch found Reid at the basketball court working with chalk. He had created an outline of the body and was working on equations.

“Reid,” he said getting his attention. “This is dangerous. You could get in a lot of trouble if Miranda or anyone else sees this.”

“I know but I can’t help it,” he said. “They took away all the files. The puzzle keeps buzzing around my head. I can barely focus. I wish I could have seen it through.”

“Me too Reid,” Hotch said. “But you’ve got to let it go.”

“I know the CIA has some of the top code-breakers but I have solved these riddles in the past. I’m worried they’re going to miss something big.”

“We both need to trust the best decisions were made. You have other things to focus on.”

Hotch offered him a hand. “We should join the party,” he said.

Reid sighed and briefly looked at his work before rubbing it off. He took Hotch’s hand and they walked towards the scent of cooking burgers.

…

They did miss something big. A major bank in Switzerland was robbed. The only thing in the main vault was a single American dollar. On it written in three different languages backwards was the message:

“You should have kept him on the case.”


	28. Chapter 28

“The future is ours to improve,” Gomez said at a rally in Pennsylvania. “We can do better and with Miranda as our leader and your help we can get things done in ways no other president has done before. I believe in American and you should too!”

The crowds cheered. Miranda came on stage.

“I believe Eduard and I are the future. I believe the greatest days of America are ahead of us. With improved education reform, more support for our veterans, and improved environment measures, we will be unstoppable in our ability to do well for the United States and the world! Your support is invaluable to us! Thank you for your time and let the progress begin!”

There was more cheering as they left the stage. Gomez and Miranda shook as many hands as they could on the way to the bus. They even managed to take a few selfies and signed some autographs.

Gomez took a seat on the bus. “This is getting more fun and less nerve-wracking with each stop.”

“I know,” she said. “It can be fun.”

“Then why do you look so miserable?” he asked in a serious tone.

Miranda didn’t say anything.

“I was a prosecutor, Miranda. I didn’t get where I am without knowing when someone was desperately trying not to show they were phoning it in.”

Miranda groaned a fell back into her seat. “Ever since the Powers That Be tabled my environmental legislation I feel as though I’m fighting a steeper uphill battle. Putting you on the ticket has helped but I have other things to worry about. Alex got in a fight at genius camp. Spencer reported that Rachel showed up at home wearing makeup for the first time. And Spencer is writing in foreign languages on napkins and he won’t tell me what they’re about because they’re part of his job.”

“I know what the kid-raising part is like,” Gomez said. “It isn’t easy but you get through it and I see the way you make a point to call home every single night.”

“You do too. What the difference?”

“I’m not afraid to show how tired I am.”

Again, Miranda didn’t say anything.

“It’s okay to be human Miranda. Tell Spencer what is on your mind and maybe you two can clear the air a little.”

“Or we’ll just fight,” she said.  

“Fighting can be good if everything is put on the table and hashed out.”

Miranda looked out the window. “I knew this was going to be a long race but I never thought it would be this exhausting.”

“We’ll get through this Miranda,” Gomez said assuredly. “And we’ll make it to the White House.”

She let out a hollow laugh. “Sure.”

“We can do great things together Miranda,” he said.

…

Reid had transformed their bedroom into a web of thoughts. His office was too small and he always locked the door when he left. He had to make a mental note to get rid of it before Miranda came home. Patterns were formed everywhere creating new clues. A body showed up on the coast of Oahu with the tattoo in the same ink but in different languages. It was a Sudanese pirate. His interpretations led an arrest in a plan to steal weapons from a military base in Tanzania. A woman who only spoke Urdu ended up on the coast of Puerto Rico wearing a dress covered in cuneiform. It was translated read of a plot rig a major poison the ambassador of Morocco. The woman only remembered being taken by men in masks from her home, blindfolded and then wandering the streets of San Juan in different dress. There was a bigger pattern but he had a hard time finding it.

His phone beeped. It was Miranda via video. He thought about ignoring it but she never called this late. It must be something important. He quickly sat on his bed in a place that wasn’t covered in notes.

“Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” he said. “Is something wrong? Why are you calling this late?”

“I just thought we should talk without the kids getting involved, is all,” she said.

Reid tried not to look frustrated, but he couldn’t. “Is that all?”

“Spencer, we haven’t had a serious conversation in a while,” she said semi-defensively. “You’re sudden secretiveness has me worried.”

“It’s my job Miranda!” he said angrily. “I can’t tell you everything. How many times do we have to go through this?”

“I thought takin you out of the field meant the workload would lighten,” she said.

“I have other responsibilities in the office now and they’re important.”

Miranda leaned into the camera. “Have you been getting much sleep?”

“What does that matter?” he said. “I can tell you aren’t judging by the amount of eye makeup you have on at this hour.”

“Spencer, I’m worried about you,” she said. “What is going on?”

“What is going on is I can’t get a haircut without someone trying take a picture of me. Alex’s little fight made national news. Rachel is struggling to make friends who aren’t try to take advantage of her. That’s what going on.”

“I know it’s hard and I am counting on you to be there for them when I can’t.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“What is really bothering you?”

At that moment Reid was on the verge of telling her everything. How overworked he felt. How he was beginning to suspect there was a massive conspiracy centered on him in hopes of swaying the election. He wanted to tell her everything.

“Just leave me alone, Miranda,” he said instead. “Goodnight,” he said and powered down his phone.

Reid returned to his work. He needed to re-examine how weather patterns were affecting the movement of these people.

…

Hotch’s private phone a beeped at three-thirty in the morning from a number he didn’t recognize.

“Who is this?” he said seriously.

“Hi Hotch,” Miranda said lightly. “I hope I didn’t startle you. I’m using my chief of staff’s phone.

“Miranda what’s going on?”

“When’s the last time you actually saw Spencer, like on a video screen?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Answer the question Hotch,” she said in a harsher tone.

“Not since the picnic,” he said honestly.

“So two weeks,” she said angrily. “You haven’t seen his face in the two weeks since has been working on these crazy assignments that are keeping him up all night. He is growing more irritable and angry. If I seriously didn’t know better I’d say he was on drugs.”

This got Hotch’s full attention. “Are you sure he isn’t taking anything?”

“I did my homework on the subject Aaron,” she said icily. “I don’t think he’s on drugs but I don’t know how much further he can go down this rabbit hole before he starts considering them.”

Hotch remained silent as he let the ramifications sink in.

“You have to start thinking about where your loyalties lie Aaron,” she said. “Letting Spencer continue to walk on this tight rope of working cases where his mind turns into his worst nightmare without any safety net. Or letting me in so he isn’t alone.”

“He isn’t alone,” he said weakly. “He has colleagues.”

“Who don’t know him the way you and I do. They also want results more than anything.”

Hotch was at a loss for words.

“I’m giving you notice Aaron. Decide in two days on whether you’ll risk you job to help me help Spencer or I hire body doubles, wear a wig, and come into my home and take crowbar to every drawer in his office and go full CSI hunting for clues of whether he has been playing with maps on other surfaces of our house.”

“This is blackmail Miranda,” Hotch said.

“This is me trying to be a good wife trying to get you to be his friend who looks out for him.”

She hung up. Hotch closed his eyes. He had no idea what to do.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I am very new here. I hope you like this. It is a story about politics, family, and some international espionage. If you’re checking out the latest chapter I have a tendency to do, you’ll find one complicated web of a story. The chapters are a short, sometimes contain a few errors because I’m terrible at editing my own stuff, and a ton of heart. Be brave and consider writing a writing a comment. It means more to me than it should but I have a lot going on in my life and this is an escape for me. Thank you!

“Ah, New York City,” Gomez said while on the bus there. “The last time I was here I took the kids. We saw a play, played on the keyboard at FAO Schwarz and visited Chelsea Piers.”

“That must have been exhausting,” Miranda said.

“We flipped a coin, my wife got to sleep for twelve hours straight and then it was my turn.”

“I took my kids when they were eight and ten. We visited the Met, planetarium, and saw an opera. I counted my blessing when they fell asleep half-way through the opera.”

Fleming appeared from the back of the bus.

“No time for touristy things this time around. You get to sleep in a real bed tonight and then it is speeches at the Democratic Women’s Organization for Miranda, Gomez you’re speaking to the Politicians for Diversity. Then you’re visiting a community center together and finally you’ll be the guests of honor at an event at the Algonquin.”

“Imagine if we switched events in the morning,” Gomez said with mischievous grin.

“I’d swat you both on the heads with a file folder followed by lecture and let the media rip you apart.”

“She meant every word she said,” Miranda said with a grin.

“I don’t doubt it,” Gomez said.

Miranda looked out the window. Hotch still had more than twenty-four hours to agree to her demands. She hoped he would agree to them and she hoped she was doing the right thing.

…

Miranda had gotten good at playing the part of a presidential candidate. So much so that she sometimes she forgot she was merely “phoning it in” as Gomez said. Still her mind never drifted far from her husband. They barely spoke yesterday during their face-time session as she spent most of the time talking to Rachel. At least he said “I love you,” at the end. It was something to hold on to.

Gomez charmed everyone he met at the event. Some of the donors were used to seeing Miranda by now so he was something new and different. They spoke lightly about politics and shared brief, pleasant stories about their kids. It was a successful night.

“Thank you,” she whispered into his ear as they entered the elevator.

“We’re a team Miranda,” he said. “We’ll get through this together.”

He bid her good night as he got off the elevator. Miranda took it to the next floor. She went into her room and changed into something more comfortable. She collapsed onto her pillow and felt something hard. Underneath it was a satellite phone. There was a number attached to it and she quickly dialed it.

Hotch picked up before the end of the first ring. “It was fairly easy to smuggle this into your room. You should consider upgrading your security at some point.”

“Okay, I will,” she said nervously.

“You were right in suspecting there is a massive conspiracy centered on you and your husband. There have been puzzles left people, both dead and alive that only Reid seems to be able to interpret and the operatives have made it clear that he is the one who should. The use of his skills has resulted in the prevention of election bombings, thefts of the highest priority among other things. We think someone is trying to sway the election in your favor by making Reid the hero.”

“Wow,” was all Miranda could say.

“The president is trying to keep this from the public as much as he can.”

“Okay,” Miranda said. “I get that, but I don’t think he knows how much this is affecting Spencer.”

“Which is why I am reaching out to you,” Hotch said. “You were right. I haven’t been a good friend or superior to him. I never would have put him in jeopardy like this if he were my under my direct supervision as he had been years ago.”

“I’m going home,” Miranda said as she began to change her clothes.

“Miranda, I’m not sure that is a good idea.”

“Rachel needs me I’ll claim,” she said. “The conventions are two weeks away. I’m not going to see them much between then and now.”

“Okay,” he said.

“Thanks Aaron,” she said.

“Tell Reid I’m sorry for me. I’m going to look after him better from now on.”

“I will Aaron,” she said. “I promise.”

…

Reid was looking at another map. It showed the different ports and he was trying to see how they could be connected. He knew they had to be arriving by ship but the method was still fuzzy to him.

He heard the slamming of a door. Miranda was supposed to be in New York. What was she doing home? He locked the door as he left and went downstairs.

Miranda’s hair was a mess and she was breathing heavily.

“Hotch told me everything,” she said.

“What?” he said with shock. “That was foolish of him.”

“I needed to know,” she said as her eyes filled with tears. “I needed know what was bothering you so much. I love you Spencer and I was afraid.”

Then like a tidal wave it hit him. The secrets, the lies. Everything. He was truly exhausted. He needed her and he should have realized that a month ago.

Reid stumbled slightly as he hugged her. He breathed in her scents. He burst into tears.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I hated keeping things from you.”

“It was your job,” she said soothingly.

“There is a time to break rules and this was one of them. I need you Miranda. I need you so much.”

“Say the word and I’ll end this campaign,” she said. “Gomez is a great candidate. Possible better than me even.”

“No,” he said pulling back gasping for air. “I need you to run. Play to win. Remember?”

“Things are different now,” she said. “We’re playing a more dangerous game with players we don’t know.”

“And they win if you stop now,” he said. “I need you to hear out my frustrations, but I also need you to run okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

“You don’t want to see our bedroom,” he said.

“Then let’s hit guest bedroom,” she said.

They leaned into each other as they climbed upstairs.


	30. Chapter 30

Miranda was in Raleigh watching the Republic National Convention coverage while Gomez was campaigning in Manchester. She was watching it with Geena, Fleming, and a few other staffers in a suite they had reserved for the occasion.

“I believe we have never been stronger!” roared Lang. “We have fought hard to get where we are. We have avoided conflict and advocated peace. The economy looks better than ever. I promise to serve as commander in chief with more vigor than ever. This our time. Our time to succeed and grow together. Thank you and God Bless America.”

“I scored double bingo!” Miranda announced. “God was free space though.”

“Why couldn’t we have turned this into a drinking game?” one of the staffers said. “We don’t have any major events scheduled until the afternoon.”

“I have a firm rule of not having staffers hung over during strategy sessions,” she said. “Which is why half of lower core staff is being kicked out tomorrow.”

Geena looked at the balloons falling with disgust. “It sounded more like he was taking a victory lap than anything. No new ideas, just stay the course and hope for the best.”

“You can get away with it when you’re leading by nine points, ten depending on which news station you’re watching,” Miranda said.

Miranda stood up. “Thank you all for watching with me. I hope you all took some notes. We start developing new ideas tomorrow and keep pushing forward. Good night.”

Some of the staffers thanked her as they said goodnight. She smiled graciously and closed the door after Geena left. Fleming was still in the room.

“What’s on your mind Whitney?”

“Why are you so cheerful lately?” Fleming asked bluntly.

“You have to stay in good spirits during this time. It is important for morale.”

“You know what I mean Miranda,” she said pointedly. “What happened during the twelve hours where you evaded most of the secret service and went home?”

“Feeling too tightly-wound, I went home and had wild and crazy sex with my husband.”

“You’re lying,” Fleming said. “You looked like you had slept more than you have in months.”

“I needed to be there for my husband Whitney,” she said. “He’s going through a rough patch at work and I just wanted to be there for him for once and also have a heart-to-heart with Rachel.”

“You’re still holding back something from me,” she said.

“I’m entitled to my secrets Whitney. Besides I’m back and I feel better. Isn’t that what’s important?”

“Just tell me ahead of time the next time you decide to pull a stunt like that,” she said as she walked to the door.

“I didn’t know you cared so much,” she said sweetly.

“Losing my candidate would kill my chances of running another campaign.”

“I love you too Whitney.”

“Goodnight Miranda.”

…

“That was a fun night,” Lang said as he, his wife, and core staff made their way to his hotel room through the kitchen.

“You looked incredible honey,” his wife Rene said.

He noticed waiting at the elevators was Shepard.

“Why don’t you go on up? I’ll see you in a little while I promise.”

“I won’t take up too much of his time Ma’am,” he said.

“I’ll hold you too it, Drew,” she said kindly.

Knowing their place in the pecking order, the staff took the other elevator. Only the chief of staff remained.

“What now?” Lang asked irritably

“A body washed up on the coast of the Hamptons. The body was identified as a German robbery suspect of a museum in Greece.”

“Let me guess, his body is covered in green tattoos.”

“Same languages as the one in Key West. Just different messages in a Fibonacci pattern in one case.”

“I assume Agent Reid is involved in the case.”

“Yes Sir.”

“What has he uncovered?”

“Nothing specific yet, but he only received the information four hours ago.”

Roderick spoke up.

“What’s bothering you Shepard?”

“Some tourists managed to snap photos of the body. The local coroner sounded intrigued. This one isn’t going to disappear quietly.”

“Then have Paige make up a story about a body related to an international robbery. The investigation is currently being overseen by the FBI. Always keep a lie as close to the truth as possible. I learned that years ago.”

“Yes, Sir,” Roderick said. “When would you like me to inform Paige?”

“Tomorrow afternoon. Let the dust settle around the story.”

The men nodded in agreement.

“Everyone, try to get some sleep. This is just another puzzle Agent Reid can handle on his own like this organization wants. We’ll learn soon enough what it all means. Good night.”

The president entered the elevator where the secret service was waiting. The men waited for the other elevator to arrive.

“I don’t like depending on one guy to save the world constantly,” Roderick said.

“It’s what the president wants,” Shepard said.

“I’m amazed he’s managed to keep his wife in the dark about all this.”

“He’s loyal to his country so he’ll do what is told,” Roderick said confidently.

The elevator arrived and the men got on it.

Paige appeared from hiding behind some trays. The same reporter has asked her about body showing up in the Hamptons. It was time to do some digging. What for, she had no idea.


	31. Chapter 31

Paige pulled into a vacant parking lot at midnight and got out. A folder in one hand and pepper spray in the other concealed in the pocket of her coat, she was ready for whatever this Eliot Leonard of the _Washington Mirror_ had planned.

Then he appeared. He was in his mid-thirties, with red hair, and on the short side. He was wearing a casual blazer over dark jeans with a red shirt. He also had a dark messenger bag over one shoulder.

She glared at him.

“Isn’t this a little too deep throat?” she said.

“Caution is a very important thing in my job,” he said with a grin. “And isn’t that my line? I’m the reporter and you’re the government operative.”

“I’m the press secretary,” she said. “Not a secret agent.”

“But you do want information that is being kept secret from you,” he said.

“I know my job involves a certain barrier between what the public needs to know what the rest of the staff knows. I represent the public in some ways. But you seem to know things that the rest of the public doesn’t know.”

“I follow blogs and keep a scanner with a recorder attached to it. Basically what I know is common knowledge if you know where to look.”

“Cut the BS Mr. Leonard,” she said bluntly. “Why do you ask about these seemingly random incidents that no one in the press pool knows about or even cares to follow up on?”

“Please, it’s Eliot. Can I call you Paige? You know by asking these questions you could get yourself in a lot of trouble.”

“I’m aware of the risks,” she said tightly.

“I don’t think you do but I’ll help if you answer me this question: Why do you care?”

“It’s complicated,” she said briefly looking at the ground.

“Enlighten me then.”

“I don’t like being left in the dark when I think I shouldn’t be. I also think the President wants to win so badly he doesn’t care about other people.”

“We’re talking about Spencer Reid aren’t we?” he said. “The congresswoman’s husband?”

“Why does it all revolve around him? And does the outcome of the election depend on him?” she asked.

“What are you going to do with this information? Turn traitor against your boss?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “I just feel like I’m in the dark about something big and you are the only one who can shed light on it.”

Leonard smiled. “I admit Paige I was hoping you’d figure this out. I bet you accidentally overheard a few meetings too.”

She sighed impatiently. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“An organization wants to take Lang down. He didn’t win the election with just his good looks you know. A series of political action committees were set up to raise money and influence for him. Everything looks perfectly legit but it’s really an illegal version of the Powers That Be.”

“I’m following,” she said. “What did Lang do to get them to turn on him? Presidents don’t get more vanilla than him.”

He chuckled a little. “To broker a peace deal that kept the US out of a major conflict he sold weapons to the wrong people.”

“Are you going to give me names to any of these organizations?”

“That is little dangerous for you to know and besides I think the names I’m being given are fake anyway.”

“So all of this is revenge?” Paige said. “Why not donate resources to Reid’s side?”

“Because she can’t win Paige,” he said. “They’re going to make Lang pay in another way.”

“How?”

“I’ve been receiving the tips via encrypted emails. I don’t know why I was chosen. I think someone is trying to send a warning. To who I have no idea. For all I know you could have secret service waiting downstairs.”

“I don’t,” she said.

“So what are you going to do with this information?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” she said. “I just wanted to feel informed. Now I do but I also feel scared.”

“You’re going to be fine Paige,” he said. “I think this organization prefers to act in the shadows and killing you or even I would be shedding too much light.”

“You agreed to this meeting. What are you hoping I’ll do with this information?”

“Warn Hotchner that these puzzles are just the organization toying with Lang and the Reids. I don’t know what is going to happen but something is going to sway this election in a way no other election has seen before.”

“And how do I warn him? All my correspondence is monitored.”

“You’ve gotten this far Paige, I think you can figure out how to steal Hotchner for two minutes or two seconds to drop an old-fashioned note into his pocket.”

“Thanks for the information Eliot,” she said. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you Paige and good luck,” he said. “Wait five minutes before leaving. I used a separate garage but you can never be too careful.”

“I will Eliot.”

She stood there rooted to the ground as he walked away. Paige always dreamed of working in the White House. She never imagined she’d be in the center of an international conspiracy that threatened to change the course of an election.

 

 


	32. Chapter 32

Alex and Rachel stood in the entrance of the Great Lakes Science Center.

“We have the whole place to ourselves?” Alex said in awe.

“You’ll have the Secret Service with you at all times,” Miranda said. “Plus a few guides if you want to talk to them. But other than that the place is yours.”

The kids looked to Miranda and Reid with huge grins on their faces.

“Thank you!” they said in unison and ran off.

“I claim the first floor!” Rachel said.

“The second is mine,” Alex said.

The secret service trailed after them, some looking annoyed, others delighted.

“You know most kids would have killed to have access to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the other side,” Miranda said.

“Not ours,” Reid said.

“I couldn’t be happier for them,” Miranda said.

“So what should we do?” Reid asked.

“Review your speech for the convention in the auditorium where a special guest is waiting for the kids,” she said.

“I can’t believe you managed to arrange all of this,” he said.

“The museum manager claimed it would be good for business to say the democratic nominee’s children wanted to run through the building. The place doesn’t get the same press as its hipper neighbor.”

As they walked into the auditorium Miranda asked:

“Are you sure you’re okay leaving work behind for a while?” she asked carefully as secret service followed them. “You could always rehearse elsewhere.”

“I have been doing nothing but work for two weeks and I think I have done all that is required of me for now. I need a break from the job Miranda and you need me at the convention.”

“I noticed we had another circle of security added last week. Do you have any idea what that is about?”

“No, I don’t,” Reid said.

They found renowned cosmologist and science educator Alden Roth waiting for them.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Congresswoman Reid and Dr. Reid,” he said waving at them. He was known for not shaking hands, something Reid appreciated.

“We’re giving the kids two hours to run around the place,” Miranda said. “Then you get to test your knowledge against theirs.”

“I look forward to it,” he said cheerfully.

“So Spencer, why don’t you do a quick rehearsal of your speech? We’ll try to be as loud we can when we applaud you.”

“Sure,” he said nervously.

Roth laughed. “I get the jitters to when I speak while at cocktail parties and scholarly events alike. Just try to talk naturally and we’ll enjoy the event.”

“Talk to me Spencer,” Miranda said. “Talk like I am waiting to hear every word you say because it draws me closer to you.”

“I think I like wife’s idea better,” Roth said. “Speak you’re reading a love letter to your wife. Speak from the heart and you’ll be fine.”

“I will,” he said drawing a deep calming breath and began:

“Miranda is everything I have ever wanted in soulmate. She is brave, intelligent and has a big heart.

…

“She is the woman of my dreams. My hero and the mother of my children. I could not ask for a better wife or mother. I only hope that I am the person who fits perfectly in her heart.”

“I believe that my wife should be president because she values people above everything. She wants what is best for everyone, rich or poor. I believe our future depends on how we treat each other and there is no better example than in how I have watched Miranda care for each person she meets. We should all aspire to be something like my wife.

Her platforms are bold and exciting. She believes working to slow the devastation of climate change is instrumental to improving the lives of everything on this planet. Miranda also believes that the more we educate our children about these important issues, the more they can do to ensure that work she does is guaranteed to live on in the generations to come. Climate change is not something we can continue to ignore. Something has to be done about it now.

Tax code reform is not the most exciting platform in the world but it in equal need of being addressed. We need to make it easier for everyone to understand. Confusion only leads to further distrust of the government. We can do better with regards to fixing the tax code and we can do that with input from everyone.

Support of the VA never gets enough attention. We think by adding money to their budget is enough. What is needed is more education for counselors. I worked with a veteran for twelve years. The dreams still haunt him. The war never ends for them and neither should compassion for the people who have given so much for our country.

Thank you for your time and if I can one last thing: I love you Miranda. I love you deeply. You fell in love with my chess moves all those years ago and you captured my heart in the time we spent together that followed. Regardless of the outcome of the election, you are my future and the only place I want to be is by your side with our kids. Goodnight everyone.”

This brought every member of the crowd to their feet. The applause was deafening. Miranda appeared with tears in her eyes and hugged him. He kissed her on the cheek and they held each other.

Fleming and Geena were waiting the wings. Geena laughed as tears were in her eyes.

“I liked how he went off-script. That is going to be one tough act to follow,” she said.

“People have claimed that Spencer is the brains, while Miranda is the heart,” Fleming said. “I think people have had it wrong.”

“So do you think we can win now?” Geena asked.

“No,” she said. “But Lang is going to have to try harder from this point on.”

“Let the real games begin then.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the support! Be brave and comment. I know there are a few things I’d change if I wasn’t racing to the finish line (which is still far away) but this is what I am writing and I hope you’re enjoying it.

Patricia finished playing a few news clips in front of the Lang campaign team. It had been three days since the Democratic National Convention and most of the important media outlets had weighed in.

“So what have we learned?” she asked.

Everyone turned to Lang.

“That her husband managed to upstage her and everyone loved it. Spencer Reid for president!”

This elicited a few small laughs.

“When she’s on stage with her kids, she looks more human,” Roderick said. “You forget she is a mother when she is talking science and forming bipartisan coalitions.”

“Gomez also did a good job,” his communications director said. “He came off sounding equally passionate and prepared to take on the job of vice president. His touches of humor were good too.”

“Isn’t it time to stop praising and start picking her apart?” his deputy chief of staff asked hotly. “Her kids and husband presented the perfect smoke screen for her flaws. She lacks the tough stance on crime you have sir, her environmental bills are going nowhere and her plans to fix the tax code are flimsy at best.”

Patricia nodded. “You make a valid argument but attacking Miranda but this point is not wise.”

“When is that then?”

His pollster jumped in.

“Sir you are currently only leading by six points. Once the hype of the national convention dies down your numbers should go back up.”

“So let’s let her bask in post-convention glow and then start attacking her relentlessly,” Lang said. “Is that what you’re getting at Patricia?”

“Exactly sir,” she said. “People have short memories. We wait another week and then we can get back into full campaign-mode again. Keep doing tours of America. Visiting schools to highlight your education reform. Go to vehicle production plants and promise their jobs are staying there. You know the drill. But now it is time to drill harder.”

“We keeping going negative until the election,” Lang said. “Harden the rhetoric a little but don’t forget to throw in a few positive ads so I don’t look like a bully.”

His pollster nodded eagerly. “I have a full breakdown of where to go negative where it would benefit us to stay positive.”

“Excellent,” he said. “I want you to work more closely with the ad distribution team.”

“Great Sir.”

Patricia closed down her screens. “Sir it is close to six o’clock. Are you prepared to adjourn this meeting?”

“I think so. Everyone, you have your marching orders. We still have a long road ahead of us and Miranda Reid is only going to making it harder. Keep up the good work and I believe that at this rate we’ll be here another four years.”

A few people clapped. Lang nodded.

“Good night and drive safely,” he said.

Everyone filed out except Roderick.

“What do you have Roderick?” Lang said as he watched the door close.

“The Political Action Committees are still backing us with the same level of support as last time.”

“Any theories as to why since we betrayed them?” Lang asked.

“I have a few. The one I’m hoping for is that they believe we’re the best option compared the Reid.”

“But what do you believe?”

“I think they’re going to make us pay via another method. Possibly violent personally against us or internationally. I honestly have no idea.”

“I never wanted that shady PAC money you know,” Lang said turning to look out the window. “It was dangerous but my father was so insistent that we needed it as the edge in order to win. Then the man had the nerve to croak two months after my inauguration.”

“Sir you did what was best for the country,” Roderick said. “You promised not to enter any armed conflicts. You did the right thing.”

“And now look what that has got us?” Lang said angrily. “A bunch of bodies and terror threats we are constantly trying to cover up. It is a small wonder that the rest of the staff hasn’t wised up to the whole business.”

“Paige has gotten curious because some random reporter kept asking questions relating to the incidents. I asked her if she had any concerns and she said she was more focused on the election than anything.”

“She’s a hard worker,” Lang said. “Remind me to somehow reward her for her diligence after the election.”

“I do believe Aaron Hotchner has figured something out,” Roderick said. “I noticed another layer of security detail was added to the Reid family.”

“Do you think Spencer Reid has said anything to his wife?”

“In all honesty I think so,” he said. “You don’t keep secrets that big from your wife.”

“I keep secrets of national security from Rene all the time.”

“This is different. Agent Reid is being charged with solving all these puzzles that a team of Central Intelligence agents had difficulty solving before this shadow organization insisted that he take the lead.”

“Your point Roderick?”

“I think Spencer would be going crazy if he didn’t tell his wife the bare basics and Miranda is smart enough to stay quiet.”

“Do you believe this needs to be investigated? He could face some serious charges for revealing national secrets.”

“I don’t think it is worth the trouble Sir. Focus on the election and keep Spencer Reid busy with the puzzles.”

“Speaking of which,” Lang said with a sigh. “How goes the code-breaking on the body found in a fishing boat in Portland?”

“He’s a Chinese hacker,” he said. “The tattoos indicate a threat to sabotage the tsunami warning system in New Zealand.”

“Anyone questioning how we got the information?”

“They just want us keep them posted of any further developments.”

“I think that’s all for today Roderick,” Lang said and turned to his desk.

“Have a good evening Sir,” Roderick said and left.

Lang sat down. He tried to relax but he couldn’t. He threw his nameplate across the room and it smashed a vase of flowers. Lang could almost hear father yelling at him for losing his cool. If only he hadn’t listened to his father four years. Maybe then he wouldn’t be in this mess.

 

 

 


	34. Chapter 34

“I still think this is a mistake,” Fleming said with a sigh while on the plane ride to Phoenix.

“My husband has a couple weeks off and he has agreed to show is his pretty face for a few campaign events,” Miranda said cheerfully.

“His pretty face is wasted in a red state,” she said.

Miranda raised her voice slightly. “I believe I should be president of every state regardless of color on some map.”

“Oh shut up,” Fleming said.

“You helped draft that rhetoric,” she said.

“We’re cutting it close,” Fleming said. “We really should be focusing our efforts elsewhere.”

“Spoilsport.”

Reid appeared and took a seat next to Miranda.

“I miss anything?”

“Whitney Fleming told the Democratic nominee for president to shut up.”

Reid looked to her. “Really?”

“Tell me genius, do you really think we should be stopping in a red state at this point in the race?”

“I actually did some research and the places we’re visiting have a high population of democratic voters.”

“Enough to swing the state?”

“Enough to earn us good will among media outlets for taking the time to care for a state that has been overlooked by other democratic candidates in the past.”

Fleming stared at Miranda and Reid.

“Did you two rehearse this together before you got on the plane?”

Miranda and Reid turned to each other. They laughed.

Fleming sighed and turned back to reading her tablet. Mentally, she was smiling though.

…

“America is the home of the free. Free for us to express our political preferences without pressure from the government. Free to share our hopes and dreams. These hopes are dreams that can be made possible for everyone. With respect for every one great things can be accomplished in this the land of the free.”

The crowd cheered. It was a strong showing of support. So much so that the guard rails had to be moved back more. Reid was still surveying the crowd when a sound speaker came crashing down.

It missed Miranda by barely two feet. She looked to Reid in panic as they were pulled in opposite directions. It could have been a freak accident. But from the way the secret service was pulling at him, he had a feeling it wasn’t.

They guided him to a van. He noticed the plates weren’t properly attached. There could be a simple explanation but Reid wasn’t convinced. He began to pull away.

“Let me go!” he shouted.

“No you’re coming with us,” one of the three men said.

“When the word ‘sir’ wasn’t added he knew they weren’t secret service agents.

“LET ME GO!” he screamed.

Two of the men picked him up and shoved him in the van with four seats in the back. One seat had be removed. The space had a backboard used in hospitals. His pulse quickened as he fought harder.

“NO!” he screamed as they tried to restrain him. The van began to move. He felt a syringe plunge into his neck. He pulled forward and bit the hand that was try to put belts on him. The man screamed and Reid lurched forward.

“NO! NO! NO!” he screamed to distract his abductors. He shoved forward and found a door handle. They tried to grab him but he knocked one of them in the face with a punch. With all his energy he pushed forward and the door opened.

The truck was moving fast, but he had no choice. He was not going to let himself be abducted again. He threw himself out of the van and covered his head. A man tried to grab his leg but the van was moving too fast.

Reid rolled into a ditch. He rested briefly. He turned over see people rushing towards him. Then everything became fuzzy. The drugs were start to take effect. He began to panic.

“Please,” he whimpered as he had decades ago. “Don’t hurt me.”

Everything then turned dark.


	35. Chapter 35

Reid was afraid to open his eyes. He was wearing clothes that weren’t his own. His wrists were in restraints. He didn’t know what was going on. There was only one thing he did want to do.

“Miranda?” he said fuzzily. He didn’t know where he was. Something was itching in the corner of his mind.

“I’m here Spencer. I’m here,” she said soothingly.

“Miranda I don’t want you to be here,” he said suddenly. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Spencer,” she said urgently. “Open your eyes.”

He opened his eyes and saw ceiling lights. He looked around and saw hospital equipment. Miranda was to his left. She looked tired but happy to see him awake.

Reid shifted his restraints. “Why am I wearing these?”

“Tell me first, what do you remember after escaping that van and rolling into a ditch?”

He tried. “I saw people approaching me and I was afraid. I thought they were the abductors.”

“They were the real secret service,” she said calmly. “Someone had heard your screams and the agents pursued the van.”

“Did they capture the men?” he asked. “What did they say?”

“Let’s focus on you first,” she said. “You fought the secret service. Even gave one of them a black eye.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“It was the drugs Spencer. They saw the needle mark on your neck. They had to restrain you to get you to safety.”

“Why would they drug me up to get me agitated?” Reid said thinking out loud. “You’d think they’d want me sedated.”

“My guess is they underestimated your strength,” she said with a smile.

“Where am I exactly and how long have I been like this?”

“You’re in the Wellness Center in Phoenix. The place is built like a fortress. It is the safest place right now until the secret service is rescreened. You’ve been out about eighteen hours.”

He looked at Miranda more closely. She was in casual beige pants and a blue top. There were bags under her eyes she didn’t try to conceal.

“Have you slept at all?”

“In bits and pieces,” she said. “I think I slept three hours when you calmed down.”

“It must have been scary to watch. The kids!” he said suddenly.

“They heard about the abduction attempt and that daddy had sustained a minor head wound and wanted to keep him under observation. Which is only a partial lie as you did bump your head but it was nothing serious.”

He laid back. “Do you know what they injected me with?”

“They ruled out LSD and Dilaudid is all the doctors said. They tried to hide their confusion but you could tell they felt out of their league. A new doctor joined your team six hours ago.”

“What about my BAU team?” he asked.

“There is currently a twenty-four hour unnecessary air travel ban,” Miranda said. “I tried to get clearance for everyone I could think of but they are giving me a hard time. Garcia and J.J. are needed at the FBI. Hotch is working on getting people from Orlando to come and see you. I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

“It’s okay. You know Vaughn Penn is good company. How is Hotch?”

“You know how hard it is to visibly anger Hotch?” she said.

“He barely raises his voice when he’s angry.”

“I could hear his voice shaking over the phone. The president is in the White House safe room and until the travel ban is lifted. I’d want to stay in the safe room if I knew I was going to have to see Hotch any time soon.”

This made Reid smile slightly. It hurt a little.

The doctor appeared. He looked delighted to see him.

“Hello Dr. Reid,” he said pleasantly. “I’m Doctor Jake Wilenski. How are you feeling?”

“Numb,” he said honestly. “What happened to me?”

“You were drugged with a rare toxin found in nature that causes painful hallucinations,” he said checking his vitals. “I’ll give you the name when you’re fully out of the influence of the toxin.”

“Everything still feels fuzzy,” he said suddenly feeling very tired. “Am I going to have to wear these restraints much longer?”

“The next time you wake up they’ll be gone,” he said assuredly and turned to Miranda.

“Congresswoman, I think Dr. Reid is through the worst of it. Why don’t you go get some rest and something to eat in the room we’ve prepared for you?”

“Just wait,” she said as Reid began to drift out of consciousness. She suddenly grabbed his hand and looked at him.

“I love you Spencer,” she said.

“I love you too Miranda,” he said and let the darkness peacefully engulf him.


	36. Chapter 36

Lang entered the Oval Office in an irritable state. Roderick was waiting for him and stood up.

“How was the Safe Room?” he asked.

“It was my wife and I with a bunch of secret service agents underground for twenty-four hours,” he said angrily. “How do you think?”

Roderick didn’t say anything.

“The Secretary of State is busy assuring people that this wasn’t an act of war,” he said taking a seat behind his desk. “Homeland security is working the FBI to root out any more bad apples. All of these directors are too busy to brief me so they’re deferring to you. Tell me what I need to know Roderick.”

He tried to sound unemotional as he spoke. “A team of five men including the getaway driver were tasked with the abduction Spencer Reid and taking him to a remote location in the desert where he was going to be tortured to death with the assistance of six other assailants. It was going to be streamed live online. The men said only the way Spencer Reid would be released would be if you were to concede within twenty-four hours of when the video was first broadcasted.”

Lang let the words sink. “How lucky are we that Spencer managed to escape.”

Roderick gulped. “Sir these men are sadists. They took pleasure in describing every form of torture and degradation planed for him. His escape was a miracle.”

“If they had everything planned so well, how did Spencer manage to escape?”

“He reportedly noticed the license plate wasn’t attached properly and that was his first hint something was off.”

“How is he holding up?”

“He was injected with a hallucinogen before he managed to escape. This put him in a bad state for twenty-four hours but as of now he has fully recovered from it.”

“Does anybody know how Miranda is holding up?”

“My sources tell me her chief of staff is never far from her side and her campaign manager is basically running things.”

“Back to the assailants. Have they sworn allegiance to anyone?”

“The men come from all different backgrounds with one unifying feature: They’re sociopaths. They were sought out through encrypted email files with the promise of money to torture someone whose identity they did not know until two days before the event.”

“Take a seat Roderick,” Lang said and sighed. He rubbed his eyes as Roderick complied.

“Is this our fault?” he asked. “Mine?”

“We had no idea this was going to happen Sir,” Roderick said.

“We knew something was, which is why Hotchner added a second layer of security. How is he by the way?”

“I spoke with his assistant. She sounded scared.”

“Of what?”

“Hotchner blowing a fuse. Sir if there someone he going to look to blame it will be you.”

“You said it yourself, I did nothing wrong!” he shouted.

“It could be seen differently,” Roderick said carefully. “You could have said something to the press. You could have not agreed to the demands of this organization with regards to only having Spencer Reid work the case.”

“You are making the arguments I expect out of the opposition!” he yelled angrily.

“Which you need to hear now to make the argument against them,” he said steadily.

Lang took deep breaths. “I did nothing wrong. I could have done things a little differently but I did nothing wrong.”

Roderick remained quiet as the president composed himself.

“So now we have to face reality,” Lang said. “What is Miranda going to do about the election?”

“I don’t know her particularly well, but I think she’ll continue to fight on. ‘We can’t let the terrorists win’ sort of thing.”

“And I’ll look like a bully for attacking her for not attending to the needs of her husband.”

“Her husband might want her to continue the race.”

“He will probably continue to feel the after-effects of nearly being abducted and hide it from his wife.”

“Don’t underestimate the size of his support group Sir. He has made close friends in Orlando and has a network of people in DC who will drop everything to help him through hard times.”

“How do you know this?”

“I read David Rossi’s last book. He thanked every member of his BAU team. There was a certain level of compassion that had been missing in some of his other books.”

Lang moaned. “So this is what accepting the dark PAC money has led to. The democratic nominee’s husband nearly being abducted by a bunch of sadists.”

“What do we do now Sir?”

“Get Patricia in here in a few days with ideas. Make her come at night and I only want the core staff involved.”

“I gave Paige the rest of the week off. Her assistant found her crying in a bathroom before the morning press conference.”

“Sometimes I forget how young she is. She doesn’t need to be in on this one but I expect her for the following meetings.”

“I’ll tell her Sir,” he said.

“That is all for now,” Lang said. “I need start working on restoring my schedule with Anne next. Thank you Roderick.”

“You’re welcome Sir,” he said and left the office.

Lang laid back and closed his eyes.

“It is not my fault,” he said firmly. “Not my fault.”

 

 

 


	37. Chapter 37

Three days had passed since Reid was admitted to the Wellness Center. He was released yesterday from medical observation. Miranda’s core campaign team five was basically being forced to live out of the hospital until arrangement could be made for them to move. Where, no one exactly knew.

_“Where is my husband?” Miranda asked after being pulled off the stage._

_“He is being taken in a separate van to a safe place Ma’am. We need to get you out of here,” he said._

_Miranda let herself be guided to a car. An agent was about to open the door when he grabbed his ear piece and grunted. The agent behind her did the same._

_She looked to them and saw their expressions had changed. She knew how they operated in terms of posture and facial expressions. This time they couldn’t disguise their fear._

_“What is going on?” she demanded._

_“We don’t know Ma’am but we need to get you out of here,” one of the agents said._

_She began to get in the car when both men and the driver grabbed their ear pieces again._

_“Ma’am please stay in the car,” the driver said._

_“What is going ON?” she yelled as she sat down._

_“We’re trying to figure that out MA’AM!” the driver shouted._

_Agents never raised their voices. Something was very wrong._

_“Buckle your seatbelt,” he ordered. He pressed some buttons on the radio. “I’m entering pursuit.”_

_“Chuck you can’t with Chess!” the radio crackled._

_“I can get to him!” he said and pulled out of the park and stepped on the gas._

_Miranda held on for dear life. It hit her as hard as the speed bumps Chuck was racing over._

_“Where’s my husband?” she said softly._

_“We’re going to get him,” he said confidently._

_She could have screamed. She could have cried but that wouldn’t have made the situation better. Instead she said:_

_“You can get him Chuck.”_

_He pushed down the gas pedal harder. Cars went crashing as they tried to get of his way. A dark van that looked similar to the one they were in was ahead of them._

_The she saw him tumble out of the car. For a split second she thought he was dead._

_“NO!” she cried._

_Chuck was still speeding ahead, intent on pursuing the van._

_“We need to stop that van,” he said through gritted teeth._

_“My husband is lying in a ditch!” she screeched._

_“You don’t know that for sure.”_

_The radio crackled. “Chuck the police have set up a barricade about a mile ahead. We have them cornered._

_Then Miranda screamed. She saw the van ahead make a massive U-turn onto another highway. A white truck was waiting there. The getaway car._

_Chuck was about to turn the wheel when Miranda slapped his arm._

_“Stop you idiot!” she said. “You’re going to get us killed at this speed.”_

_“I am on them,” he said and turned up the speed as they made the turn._

_Miranda saw a glimpse of police lights in the distance before the van turned. She bounced around the back despite being belted in._

_The truck was driving across lanes and hitting more cars. Chuck maneuvered the van to get within striking distance._

_“Hold on and duck!” he shouted_

_The vehicles collided. The window shattered. Chuck got out of the car as she tried to get her bearings. She was alone in the car and terrified._

_“Ma’am are you alright?” someone shouted._

_It was another agent. He opened the passenger door and offered her a hand. She slowly got out._

_“Where is my husband?” she sobbed into the agent’s arms. “Where is he?”_

“Miranda?”

She jumped. She’d been dreaming again while sitting at a desk writing out thank you notes for the police as something to do. Miranda turned to see J.J. quickly approaching her.

She ran to her. Both woman embraced tightly.

“Have you seen Spencer?” she asked.

“No, not yet,” she said.

“Then what you wasting your time with me then?” Miranda said with a laugh. “They gave us the Director’s Board room to relax in. He’s over there.”

“Miranda, I’m afraid,” she said.

“Of what?”

“Cracking,” she said wiping a tear away. “I met his abductors. I went to the cabin where they planned awful things for him. Miranda I’m not sure I can look at him the same way again.”

Miranda hugged her. “It’s okay,” she said. “When I saw Spencer for the first time after the abduction he looked at me like a stranger who wanted to hurt him. It terrified me. It broke my heart,” she said crying.

“But, I knew he’d come back to me,” she said. “Even before they isolated the toxin I knew he would come back because I’d look into his eyes and see the person I fell in love with. He’s safe J.J. and that is all that matters.”

“I know,” J.J. said. “I just needed to get that out of my system.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “We all cried it out at some point.”

“Come with me,” she said suddenly. “It’ll be easier.”

“No, go,” Miranda said. “Go and I’ll see you in a bit.”

Miranda sat back down. Charles “Chuck” Greene was suspended for recklessly endangering her life. She tried to speak in his defense, but they wouldn’t listen. If she became president, he would be among the first people she’d look after.


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this. I could use some comments, kudos etc., anything to move my email informing me my graduate school application is under review down my email que as I don’t have the nerve to move it yet. Sorry if this is messy. I have another chapter to draft and got interrupted by a Facebook debate. I should know better but sometimes I don’t.

They were situated in a smaller less glamorous conference room on the same floor where the Reids were living. It was their first strategy session four days after Reid’s attempted abduction. It was only Reid, Miranda, Fleming, Geena, and J.J. Miranda and Reid had an open chess game they were slowly playing.

“Welcome to the campaign team Agent Jareau,” Fleming said. “I’d get you a button but we’re all out."

“First, it’s J.J. and second, I’m not officially part of your team,” J.J. said. “We’re here to discuss who might have attempted to abduct Spencer.”

“And how to move forward,” Miranda said. “So first on the agenda, should I drop out of the campaign?”

“No,” everyone in the room said.

“Gomez would make a great candidate,” she said. “It is worth considering.”

“We discussed this. It would mean letting the terrorists win honey,” Reid said. “I’m not sure how I’d live with myself seeing you watch the campaign you used to run. Play to win, remember?”

Miranda touched his hand. “I don’t want you to suffer anymore.”

“I won’t,” he said confidently. “We’ll hire a psychologist that I’ll see regularly. I promise.”

“Only if this is what you want,” she said.

“I want you to win,” he said.

Fleming coughed. Their attention turned to the rest of the people in the room.

“Well, with that out of the way let’s keep moving,” Fleming said. “It is worth taking the time to figure out who would go through the trouble to do all this.”

“We need to discuss motivation first,” J.J. said. “Whose stands to benefit the most from this event?”

“Us because I got away,” Reid said with a gulp.

J.J. nodded. “It changed the narrative this UNSUB was planning.”

She looked at Fleming and Geena. “UNSUB stands for—“

“Unknown subject,” they both said.

“You pick up the vernacular with time,” Geena said.

“Back to my point. Spence’s escape changed the story. Miranda you would have been forced to end you campaign as Reid would have been killed as result of Lang's justified refusal to concede.”

“So Lang would have won by default,” Geena said. “The target was Lang.”

“Could Gomez have won?” J.J. asked. “I know from conversations with you guys that the Powers That Be were planning for another candidate to run for the next term. Could Gomez have been the one they wanted in the White House to begin with?”

The three other women exchanged looks.

“If the King of the Hill wanted to end this campaign properly he has the means. I have skeletons in my closet he could expose.”

J.J. looked at her. “Like what? I’ve known you well for almost fifteen years.”

“I made a few deals with devils in DC. I slept with a professor in college who was visiting from France. Played dirty in a chess tournament. My sister wasn’t always a saint either. The King of the Hill treasure secrets as his source of power. He doesn’t need to touch a hair on my husband’s head to end my political career.”

Reid didn’t look surprised by any of these admissions.

“Politicians don’t kill other politicians J.J.” Fleming said.

“What about ordering hits?” J.J. asked.

Geena laughed in spite of herself. “That involves too much work. The Powers That Be aren’t just interested in the presidential race. They have a lot of other political careers to manipulate this term.”

“So Lang was the target. Why?”

Miranda rested her hands on the table deep in thought. “You have to make a lot of friends with ulterior motives to win a race. Some of them people you wouldn’t the press to know about.”

“What friends have you made that are shadowy?” J.J. asked.

“Let’s see, I got a ton of money from man who has been evading sanctions from the EPA. I communicated with someone Gomez prosecuted for tax fraud to get media influence in swing vote states. I also paid for an alt-right fake news website to distribute lies about Lang.”

J.J. stared at her disbelievingly. “You did all that?”

“Don’t forget the deals I made behind your back,” Fleming said.

Reid spoke up:

“J.J. get out if you don’t want to hear any more of this,” he said firmly.

“You stand by her Spence?” J.J. said.

“I know she has to make some questionable deals to get the power she needs to win. If your viewpoint of my wife has drastically changed because it, get out.”

J.J. sat in silence for a moment. She turned to Miranda.

“I have always cared about you because Spencer loves you. I don’t quite know what to think right now but if Spence has chosen to stand by you now then I will too.”

“Can we please try to stay on topic?” Fleming said impatiently. “We all have demons. You don’t want to know about the dirt I needed fill landfills with to get creeps elected.”

“So you think Lang made a deal with dangerous people and went back on it?” J.J. said.

“The theory fits,” Miranda said.

“What about proving it?” Geena asked. “And finding the group behind it?”

“That is what the FBI is for,” J.J. said.

“You’ll need the cooperation of Lang first,” Miranda said.

“Why wouldn’t he cooperate?”

“Fear,” Reid said. “J.J. you know better than I do what they had planned for me. If this is what they wanted to do to me with untraceable anonymity, imagine how Lang feels for his own safety and that of kids and grandkids.”

Geena raised her hand.

“I’ll be the first to say this is all completely nuts.”

“Someone has to know something,” J.J. said. “Something we can trace.”

“What about the bodies being dropped all over the world?” Miranda asked. “Is there a method that hasn’t been traced yet?”

Geena and Fleming looked confused while J.J. appeared surprised.

“I blackmailed Hotch into telling me about the bodies covered in codes that lead to the interruption of international crimes only Spencer was told in the messages to solve.”

“I must have missed something,” Reid said. “I need to revisit the cases.”

“I don’t think that is a good idea Spence,” J.J. said.

“I’ll just revisit the time line to look for patterns.”

“Still not a good idea,” Miranda said.

“So there is a massive untraceable organization that can end or initiate crimes,” J.J. said. “Does that sound familiar?”

“Didn’t we just go over how The Powers That Be don’t like to get their hands dirty?” Fleming snapped.

“J.J. might be on to something,” Miranda said. “They may not be directly involved but they may choose to overlook certain things. Someone needs to talk to the King.”

“He won’t do it via a traceable method or with a fed,” Geena said. “Any ideas?”

“He’ll talk to Paige,” Fleming said confidently.

“Why?” Miranda asked.

“Because she is his daughter.”

 


	39. Chapter 39

“Whitney,” Miranda said slowly. “Who knows this?”

“Her mother, appellate court Judge Trina Morton and Snyder. Paige think its Allen Walters, who Trina was dating at the time and later married.”

“What proof is there?” Geena asked.

“A DNA test I helped Trina pay for personally. The results are in a safety deposit box in Miami I maintain along with three other boxes in different cities. Paige also has the same rare blood type Snyder has.”

The room remained quiet.

“Paige was the one from Lang’s team who reached out Hotch,” J.J. said. “Is that a coincidence?”

“Paige always wanted to work in the White House,” Fleming said. “I picked Lang to win and used my influence over Snyder to help get her on the team.”

“What else have you done with this information?” Geena asked.

“Not much,” she said casually. “Technically neither side really wants the information to come out. Paige loves Allen as her true father. It is going to be a shame to ruin this reality but if it means finding a web of killers, so be it.”

No one spoke. Fleming had been sitting on information to topple the King of the Hill for years partially out of human decency and partially out of indifference. This made Fleming scarier in Miranda’s eyes than ever.

“Okay,” Fleming said. “Have Hotchner reach out to Paige and have her talk to her daddy about the web of lies he might know about. Let’s move on.”

“I’ll set that up with Hotchner,” J.J. said. “But first we need to discuss security. We’re still trying to find a safe place for you guys.”

“I had an idea on that front,” Miranda said. “What about Rossi’s place?”

“I’m not sure he’d be okay with him.”

“Really J.J.?” Miranda said. “Didn’t he once ambush you by hosting your own wedding? Protecting Spencer relatively sounds small.”

“What about your kids?”

“Home tutoring,” she said. “I’ve read some of the emails from the school. The teachers love them but you don’t need to be a genius to read between the lines.”

“Paolo is a good school,” Reid said. “But they’d be better off with individual instructors. I’ve been thinking that for a while now.”

“What about friends?” J.J. asked. “I know from experience how siblings can get on each other’s nerves.”

“The internet is beautiful thing,” Miranda said.

“I like the idea,” Spencer said and gripped Miranda’s hand. “It will be fun and when it ends one way or another we’ll see where it leads us.”

“So what about us?” Fleming said. “We can’t campaign in a bubble.”

“We work with the secret service and no more trips into high risk locations,” Miranda said. “We also work through social media to establish a better presence online.”

“I think it would be a good idea to reach out to Lang,” Geena said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Miranda said. “We need coordinate a message that indicates nothing has changed in terms of addressing the issues and our different visions we have planned for America.”

“Just a dumb question,” Fleming said. “How do we get out of here? I appreciate the care Spencer has received but I generally don’t like hospitals.”

“We’re working on it,” J.J. said. “Plan to leave tonight with body doubles, two identical cars… the works.”

“Where are we going?” Miranda asked.

“To DC to speak with Hotch directly for a formal debriefing in the morning. We have three different place in mind for the meeting and we won’t disclose the exact location until we’re in the air.”

 “Wow,” Fleming said. “I feel like I’m already in a presidential motorcade.”

“I thought you said you’d never take a position in my administration,” Miranda said playfully.

“I feel like I have no choice with you,” she said. “We’ll discuss that later.”

J.J. packed up her paperwork. “I think we’re done here. I’ll inform Hotch about what we’ve discussed,” she said.

“One last thing J.J.” Miranda said. “I did nothing illegal. Wrong in your eyes. But shades of gray are required if you want to win a major political office.”

J.J. looked at her briefly, her expression unreadable. “I know but that doesn’t mean I have to agree with them,” she said and got up.

“I’ll be seeing you later,” she said. “Good-bye,” and left.

No one spoke for a moment.

“Miranda please don’t beat yourself up,” Fleming said. “Guilt never looks good on your face. J.J. should have known you didn’t get where you are without a few skeletons made.”

Reid rubbed her back. “It will be fine. She still cares about you. It will just take some time for it to sink in.”

“I know,” she said. “But that doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”

“We need to rally the troops,” Geena said. “Give them a pep talk and tell them to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Miranda said turned her attention to the chess match she and Reid had abandoned. “Let us just finish this game.”

“Will it be rapid-fire?” Fleming asked.

Reid made his first move.

“It is now,” he said.

Fleming and Geena left. Miranda and Reid smiled as they played the game they both loved.


	40. Chapter 40

“This is truly a unique situation that America is facing. One that it never has and never will again,” Lang said at a podium across from Miranda. “As many of you know Congresswoman Miranda Reid’s husband Spencer was nearly abducted at a campaign event in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ve invited Miranda here tonight so that we can explain to you the people, the voters how we intent to move on after this horrific incident. Miranda?”

“Thank you Mr. President,” she said. “It is important that during these troubled times that democracy moves forward. I spoke with my husband and offered to give up my position but he refused. He said it would mean the people responsible for his pain had won. I have agreed to my husband’s wishes and intend to move forward on the campaign to be your president.”

“Well said Miranda,” he said with a smile. “As she said, the democratic process needs to move forward. As it has been said many time before but only recently now, we cannot let the terrorists win. Tonight we stand together to say that our positions on the certain issues we disagree on remain the same. Our vision for America remain equally different. Despite everything, we your candidates still represent everything as we did before Spencer Reid’s attempted abduction.”

“I truly one hundred percent agree with you Mr. President,” Miranda said. “We stand together in our desire to do what is right for you the people, our fellow Americans. We will not waiver in our intent to show you both sides of the issues. Our arguments will remain respectful. It is our mutual desire to continue the race that has united us tonight. It is a statement to the terrorists amongst us and abroad that we are not afraid and we will continue on in this democratic journey without any detrimental influence.”

“Thank you for taking the time to hear us speak from the heart and let the race for the presidency continue.”

“I look forward to seeing you again on the debate stage Sir in the five weeks.”

“I do too. Goodnight and God Bless America,” Lang said and the message ended.

William Snyder, the King of the Hill had been watching from his private office alone sipping a glass of high-quality whiskey.

Paige appeared.

“How did you get past security?” he asked softly without looking at her.

“When the press secretary says she has important information from the president, people have tendency to open doors for me.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes, Sir,” she said without hesitation.

“What brings you here at this hour Miss. Walters?”

“Tell me about the people who abducted Spencer Reid.”

He regarded her briefly.

“How would I know anything about that?”

Paige took a step forward.

“Because you are the most powerful man on Capitol Hill,” she said firmly.

“I may know everything there is to know about the people who work here. But outside the Hill. How would I know something about that?”

“Because, Miranda Reid still works on the Hill,” she said. “Your influence spreads everywhere across this country and even some parts of the rest of the world.”

He stared at her.

“If you are going to accuse me of doing something, do so now please.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything Sir,” she said. “I just think you know a secret. The secret to Lang’s success in first presidential race.”

“He was smart about the friends he made. Some of them a little camera-shy. You know how this works Miss Walters. He probably made some dangerous deals. Every politician has and if they deny it, they’re lying.”

“I don’t think you’re taking me seriously Senator,” she said. “What do you know about the organization that plotted to abduct Spencer Reid? Lives depend on it. Maybe even yours.”

“I know nothing,” he growled.

“What do you know?” she asked loudly. _“Daddy.”_

He cursed. “Fleming,” he said.

“You have several choices now,” she said confidently. “Tell me everything you know Spencer Reid’s abduction. Stay silent while I go to the president with this information and he holds this information against you. Publicly announce you cheated on your wife of forty-five years and facing the scrutiny of the press along with your peers. I could go public but I won’t. All I want is what is best for the world. Tell me about the abduction of Spencer Reid.”

He took a sip from his drink and sat back. “So this is what it took for Fleming to use what she had on me.”

“I’m not going to stop asking until you give me an answer. _Sir,_ ” she said.

“The FBI won’t catch the people who did the Miss. Walters,” he said.

“What about the bodies and the tattoos?”

“The organization is fluid. They affect events all over the world. There was no meaning to it. Just a message to Lang that the organization he screwed over is capable of a variety of things.”

“How does Spencer Reid fit into all this?”

“There are moles in the FBI who know all their dark secrets, including his drug addiction. They were trying to make him crack under the pressure. If Spencer started using they’d be the first to know and exploit it.”

“Can they be stopped?”

“What do you think?”

“No,” she said. “But what will they do next? Both the president and the congresswoman have multiple added layers of security.”

“Let’s see, if I were the leader of an international terror network and failed in my first objective, which was involved a physical altercation, my next move would be mental torture. Mind games.”

“What are your sources of this information?”

“Take a guess. You’re smart Miss Walters.”

She sighed. “Encrypted emails.”

“Tell Lang when you get a chance that I know about the weapon’s deal. I’d use it against him if the source wasn’t so shady.”

“I think we’re done. You really don’t know much of anything,” she said.

“I have been informed there is a mole in his staff. Who, I don’t know. What they want I believe is to mentally destroy Lang at any cost. The cost being pain and suffering to the Reid family causing them to drop out and Lang to win.

“Why not wait for the election?”

“Don’t forget these people are terrorists. Where is the terror in a standard election?”

“One last thing Sir,” Paige said. “Why did you pick Miranda Reid?”

“This organization has been around for at least decades. I saw the writing on the wall. If there was someone I thought who could beat this organization at their own game I thought it would be her and her husband. Spencer evaded capture. I’d say I’ve been right so far.”


	41. Chapter 41

Geena surveyed the inside of Rossi’s home.

“This place is stunning,” she said.

“Thank you,” Rossi said as security swarmed in and out of the house with equipment.

Fleming joined them. “Six bedrooms, three bathes, plus a finished cellar and loft. We should have enough space so that we’re not getting in your way.”

“Getting in my way is fine,” he said. “Just two rules, don’t touch my wine cellar and don’t touch my cars.”

Miranda appeared. “You mean running around the house and knocking things over is an option?” she said.

“I put all the valuable breakable stuff in storage,” he said.

“I still can’t thank you enough for letting us taking over your home,” she said.

“Anything to keep you and your family from living in a bunker between now and the election.”

Alex and Rachel followed with Reid tailing behind.

“So this our home now?” Alex said.

“All yours, kid,” Rossi said.

“Thank you Uncle Rossi,” Rachel said and went to hug him.

“You’re welcome,” he said blushing.

“Then where’re we going?” Alex asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? The White House!” Rossi said.

“Mom, still can’t win, the polling says so,” Alex and turned to his parents. “So where are we going?”

“We’ll see,” Miranda said uncertainly

“Yes, we’ll see,” Reid said a little more confidently.

“Come on,” Rossi said. “Let me show you the best two bedrooms in the house.”

The kids followed after him. Fleming appeared.

“Come on Miranda, let’s go find a base of operations. I’m thinking the basement…”

Miranda followed behind as Reid looked after. The question was still definitely up in the air.

…

_“Please,” he whimpered as Tobias Hankel stared down on him. “Don’t hurt me.” He knocked him out again._

_He was fighting against restraints. The lights were bright. “LET GO OF ME!” he screamed as he fought. Two people were pushing him down. He wasn’t going to be taken down that easily this time. “NO!” he screamed._

“Spencer!” Miranda cried.

He slowly opened his eyes. They were in the Rossi residence or as he kept insisting, their “temporary home.”

“Did I wake you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said simply

He looked around. The clock said three-thirty.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“It’s okay Spencer,” she said though she resisted touching him. Like she was afraid.

He wrapped her arms around her they fell back on to bed.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” he whispered.

“You’re remembering things like the therapist said you would,” she said staring at the ceiling. “Do you remember seeing my face yet?”

“No,” he admitted sadly.

“I’m glad,” she said. “I looked terrified when you didn’t recognize me as your wife.”

“Oh Miranda,” he whispered. He turned her so she was facing him. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’ll get through this,” she said with determination.

“Together,” he said and kissed her.

…

“Look who’s up late?” Rossi said Miranda and Reid came into the kitchen.

He was busy at the stove with eggs.

“Uncle Rossi is making us a frittata!” Rachel said.

“Did you know frittata is an Italian word derived from _friggere_? It means fried,” Alex said.

“No I did not,” Rossi said and looked up to the ceiling briefly. “I’m living with Reid and two mini-Reids for two roughly months. What did I get myself into?”

Reid went to pull out plates. Miranda moved closer to Rossi and smiled.

“Welcome to my world,” she said.

Thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Fleming, Geena, and three other members of Miranda’s staff appeared. Behind them were the two tutors and then Tara Lewis.

“Did you all get on the same bus?” Miranda asked jokingly.

“If you call an armored car a bus, then yes we all did,” Fleming said. “I’ll show the troops where we’re set up, while you meet the tutors.”

“Harold Shomps,” he said waving at them. “I’m Alex’s tutor.”

“Kylie Corbella,” she said waving at them also. “I’ll be Rachel’s.”

“Thank you for agreeing to come to the house,” Miranda said as Reid and Rossi greeted Lewis.

“The pleasure, is ours,” Corbella said. “I can speak for both us when I say we look forward to the challenge.”

“That is what all the teachers say in the beginning of the year,” Miranda said. “Then the notes change in tone from excitement to frustration.”

“Paolo is a terrific school,” Shomps said. “But I doubt they’ll wear us out.”

“There is no shame in leaving,” she said. “We have backup tutors in mind.”

“We won’t,” Corbella said stubbornly. “Now where are their rooms for study?”

“Alex, first door on the left, and Rachel for second door on the right.”

“Thank you,” Shomps said and they walked up the stairs.

Lewis and Rossi finished talking with Reid. They watched the tutors go upstairs.

“I have a pool going with Geena and Fleming that they won’t last until lunch,” Miranda said. “Anyone care to join in?”

“Miranda, you’re terrible,” Reid said teasingly.

Rossi pulled out his wallet. “Alex’s tutor won’t stay for lunch. Rachel’s will fight on to stay for the whole day.”

“They’re Harvard-educated!” Reid exclaimed.

“We have Stanford set up for tomorrow,” Miranda explained.

“May the best style of schooling win,” Rossi said.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought this story could use a nice short family-oriented chapter. Back to politics and espionage next chapter.


	42. Chapter 42

“So the secret service needs three days survey the locations we’ve selected,” Fleming said. “And absolutely _no deviations_. Understood? Miranda?”

She was doodling on the corner of a note pad. “I was thinking of visiting a donut shop where the empty steel mills are in Detroit.”

This got a few laughs. Fleming wasn’t among them.

“Stick to the script Reid,” she said.

“Yes Ma’am,” she said and turned to the rest of the staff. “I think that’s all for this morning. Head upstairs where there is a sandwich buffet waiting for you.”

“Second day of work and we’re still being fed like kings,” one of the staffers said. “I could get use to this.”

“Don’t,” Fleming snapped. “You’ll be eating cold pizza soon enough back on the campaign trail.”

Miranda was still picking up things. “Hey Fleming would you like to stay hang back for a second? I have another question about security.”

“Fine,” she said.

Fleming watched the door close. “So what is this really about?”

“I would really like you to stop snapping at my staff,” Miranda said. “You seem more irritable since our move here.”

“We don’t have much time left,” she said defensively. “We need to work hard from now until Election Day.”

“Bullying them around is going to kill morale,” Miranda said. “Don’t you think that has happened enough already?”

“I don’t think I’m being that rough,” she said. “Just tightening corners is all.”

“I have seen you tense and this is not tense,” Miranda said looking directly at her. “What is going on with you?”

“I am patted down before I’m escorted to your new home via an armored car. I know my apartment is being checked for bugs and surveillance equipment. And that is not the worst part.”

“It’s dreaming about the day Spencer was almost abducted isn’t it?”

“I have dreams of it constantly,” she said as her voice weakened. “Your secret service van had gone rogue and for a solid twenty minutes, I thought both of you had been captured or worse. It haunts me.”

“Thank you for sharing that Whitney,” Miranda said seriously. “I’m hiring a counselor for the policy office where most of the outreach team has been working. You can’t be the only one having bad dreams.”

“I don’t think that is necessary,” she said. “I don’t need counseling.”

“I need every member of my staff to be at their one hundred percent. I want my staff to look confident and energetic while we’re on the road again. Not scared for my safety.”

Fleming sighed. “Yes Ma’am.”

…

“It feels like the whole gang is back together again,” Garcia said happily as they sat down.

They were in a windowless room in basement level of the BAU. It was Lewis, Rossi, Hotch, Reid, and J.J.

“You really didn’t need come out of retirement for me Rossi,” Reid said.

“Kid you were nearly captured and killed again,” Rossi said. “I don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t try to get involved. And thanks to our fearless leader, I am.”

“Did I hear Emily is even coming back from her special assignment with International Response Team?” Lewis asked

Hotch nodded. “She should be here tomorrow.”

Reid turned red. “I really don’t think I’m worth all this attention.”

J.J. and Hotch exchanged a meaningful look.

“Reid your violent death would have resulted in one of the most catastrophic shakeups to have ever faced American politics. It would symbolize how a terror cell could change the results of an election.”

“But Miranda wasn’t and still isn’t capable of winning,” Reid said. “Lang looks stronger than ever.”

“That is beside the point Reid. The people wouldn’t have been able to cast a single vote for the election to be decided.”

“So why all the protection for me?” he asked. “They aren’t going to try again.”

“We don’t know that for sure,” J.J. said. “We assess threats daily. Nothing serious has come up lately but it is honestly better to be safe than sorry.”

“Let’s get started,” Hotch said. “There is a mole in Lang’s inner circle and we have been tasked with finding it.”

“Why us?” Lewis asked. “Why not the CIA or another unit?”

“Paige Walters came to me first with the information that suggested there was a threat to Reid,” Hotch said. “While Lang feels betrayed that she didn’t trust him more, he’d rather have us take the lead as we have a personal stake.”

“Shouldn’t that actually exclude us then?” Reid said.

“He interprets it to mean that we’ll work harder to find who is responsible for masterminding the attack.”

“Okay,” Rossi said. “So who knows we’re mole hunting?”

“Only Paige and the President,” Hotch said.

“I’m a little concerned about that,” J.J. said. “That is a lot pressure to take on for someone her age.”

“You started working here as the press liaison when you were that age,” Hotch said.

“Point taken,” J.J. said. “But I had you guys to back me up.”

“Paige can also turn to us. I trust her J.J.” Hotch said.

“Do we have anyone on the inside to watch things?” Rossi asked.

Garcia raised her hand. “That’d be me,” she said. “I have search engines and all sorts of fun tech gadgets to listen in on their every word.”

“I wouldn’t say anything incriminating in the White House,” Rossi said.

“That is where my training comes in,” Lewis said. “With Garcia’s programing I can isolate patterns of thought that aren’t consistent with the rest of the staff.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“I’m on leave from section chief duty until this election is over.”

Hotch pulled out a white board.

“What motivates a mole?” he asked.

“Dissatisfaction with job,” J.J. said.

“Dissatisfaction with current regime, be it government or the just the current political party,” Rossi said.

“Acting on the behalf of another organization,” Reid said.

“So money, power, or both,” Lewis said.

“The desire to cause chaos,” Garcia said.

Hotch finished writing them down.

“The point of this exercise was to get all of us on the same page of discussing who fits the profile of a mole and who doesn’t.”

“How big a net are we casting?” Rossi asked. “Are we including assistants? Maintenance crew?”

“Only those with immediate access to the information, so personal assistants are included.”

Hotch pulled out thick briefcase. He opened it with his thumb print. He pulled out file folders.

“These are dossiers on every member of Lang’s inner circle. Let’s get to work.”  

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
